Not Over Til The Paperwork Is In
by WhyMustIWrite
Summary: After an administrative error, Iruka finds himself on an S-rank mission with Sharingan Kakashi and snobbish Anbu and, ultimately, on trial for murder. Iruka's past haunts him while Kakashi becomes unwillingly entangled in the sensei's affairs. Gen fic.
1. Part I, Prologue

Disclaimer: I own Naruto  
Okay fine! I don't. Fooled you though, didn't I?

This story is dedicated two Naruto fanfiction writers: Swiss Army Knife and GoldenKizamu.

My interpretation of Iruka as a character has been largely inspired by Swiss Army Knife's works (particularly Ripples in an Ocean) while my concept of Konoha's society has been shaped by GoldenKizamu's Paperwork Ninja universe. (Though I trust this story is not a "carbon copy" of their work. Ha, ha! Get it, GoldenKizamu, "_carbon copy_"? Ha, ha…ha…okay, so it's not that funny).

I freely admit that I may never attain to GoldenKizamu's inventiveness; nor to Swiss Army Knife's…well…sheer genius. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Prologue

Kakashi strolled leisurely into the mission room, a somewhat crumpled and stained mission report in hand. After three serious attempts at conveying his experiences onto paper, the jounin finally just scrawled down the barest of facts about his mission, distracting himself from his more harrowing memories by doodling in the margins of the page. The paperwork chunin would just have to deal with it. They wouldn't understand, certainly. Most likely, _their_ biggest fear was warding off the ever present danger of paper cuts, Kakashi thought wryly.

Kakashi arrived at an off-peak time, when he knew there would be no lines. He frequented the mission office and was very familiar with its schedule. This afternoon, he expected to see Umino Iruka. However, instead of the scarred-nose Academy sensei, a newly promoted chunin was receiving the incoming mission reports.

The teen looked at the report, looked at Kakashi, then looked at some files. "This report is three days late!" He remarked with surprise.

Yes, this kid was definitely new at this.

"I had to retrieve it from deranged squirrels."

The chunin gawked at him incredulously.

"They've been stealing lately," the jounin expounded.

The story was ridiculous, but did the teen dare accuse the famous copy nin of lying? The chunin stared at him for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to call him out on it. Finally, he turned his eyes back to the mangled report. "Is this document encrypted?" he asked innocently.

Kakashi grinned sheepishly under his mask. So his handwriting was a little sloppy. That's what happens when you're taught to kill before learning to read or write. But if this kid couldn't read the report, neither could he complain about its contents. "Iruka-san can read it," he said evasively, albeit truthfully. That teacher could make out even the most unintelligible scribble.

"Okay, I'll just leave it for Umino-san until he returns from his mission." The report was placed into a rather large stack of paperwork that was sealed in an oversized tub.

Kakashi couldn't stand the thought of having to face so much paperwork after completing a mission. He almost felt bad about needlessly adding his malformed report to the pile. Almost.

His half-guilty musings were interrupted when Tsunade thundered into the room, a scroll scrunched tightly in her powerful fist. "I just received word from Sand!" Her eyes were flashing danger and the chunin workers scrambled to attention. "The Anbu squad arrived there safely…"

"That's good news, Lady Tsunade," one worker began.

"…_with the wrong scroll!_" their Hokage boomed.

It was to their credit that the workers didn't cower in fear at the thrum of anger emanating from their leader. "Where is that forbidden scroll?" She demanded.

There was a flurry of activity as the paperwork ninja scrambled to find the answer to that question.

Moments later, a small "eep" could be heard from the northwest corner of the room. The rookie chunin had guilt written all over his face. "Tsunade-sama- I'm _so _sorry- I…I mixed it up…with a C-class scroll."

"You 'mixed up' an S-class scroll…with a C-class scroll?" Tsunade repeated. Her voice sounded calm, but there was danger hidden beneath. "And where, pray tell, is the forbidden scroll?"

The teen looked at the folder in his hand. "Um…it should be…on its way to Stone…with a chunin team." Hesitance and worry laced his words.

Kakashi watched with interest as these events unfolded. He'd never personally witnessed such a blaring error committed by the paperwork staff before. Would their Hokage unleash her fury on the kid?

When their leader's fierce amber eyes settled on the copy nin, and he suddenly realized that he should have left when he had the chance.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Just to clarify and manage expectations: this is not yaoi, and Iruka is not a super-powerful ninja in disguise. He is properly identified as chunin-level. He does not need earth-shattering powers to be a fascinating character or a competent ninja.

* * *

Kakashi traveled through the branches, tracking the path of the chunin team. His orders: to bring the team and, more specifically, their scroll, back to Konoha. With school being out on summer break, this squad consisted of four Ninja Academy sensei: Han'you, Fumei, Shiryou, and Iruka.

With any luck, this would be a fairly simple retrieval. That is, of course, assuming no one else had gotten to that squad first. However, the team had left days ago so it was entirely possible that they had already been intercepted. In that case, his objective would be to reclaim the scroll from the enemy.

The jounin paused to examine his surroundings. There had been a battle here. Not that one had to be a ninja to see that; the uprooted trees, smoldering foliage, and generous blood smears were a telltale sign.

Really, he should have known better than to hope luck would be on his side.

* * *

Kakashi stalked the figure ahead, wary of confronting yet another foreign nin. He'd already dispatched one assailant, suffering only minor injuries, but Kakashi wanted to avoid unnecessary conflicts until he located the Konoha team.

At least a portion of the squad seemed to be alive, if there were still other ninja pursuing them. With several villages reportedly after this scroll it was only a matter of time before Kakashi encountered more. He was joining their hunt, while trying to keep out of sight of the other hunters.

As he drew closer, he recognized the form as Konoha chunin, Umino Iruka. The sensei was gravely injured, stumbling listlessly while dragging his awkwardly twisted left leg along. The other three Konoha shinobi were not in sight.

The jounin pulled up behind the man, approaching cautiously while allowing his presence to be known.

Iruka tensed, gripping a kunai and turning around.

Kakashi surveyed the area carefully, ascertaining that they were indeed alone. "Where are the others? Your team?"

Iruka's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Gritting his teeth, he took a shaky step backwards.

"It's all right, Iruka-sensei." Kakashi approached, eye crinkling in his signature smile as he tried to reassure the edgy shinobi. "Tsunade-sama sent me to rescue you."

This sentiment was greeted with a series of flung kunai. As the jounin dodged and deflected the projectiles, he saw Umino attempting to flee, running with what was clearly a broken leg.

Kakashi pursued, quickly caught up, and leaped to tackle the man down. The shorter the chase, the less likely his comrade would injure himself further in his attempt to escape.

It was only in mid leap that Kakashi realized the trick. This Iruka was an illusion.

The clone grinned mischievously as it activated an explosive tag on its body. Kakashi's hands formed seals, and he teleported away just as the explosion hit. He coughed at the smoke and dust that had been kicked up, and noted that he'd accumulated a few minor burns, on top of his earlier mild injuries.

Kakashi would have to keep in mind that Iruka's traps may include kamikaze doppelgangers.

* * *

Iruka swam under the surface of the ice-cold river water, thankful to be moving with the current rather than against it. While he had to use chakra to retain his body heat and avoid freezing to death, it was better than trying to walk on a broken leg.

The chunin suddenly became aware of his clone's dissipation. He almost gasped at the realization it afforded, but stopped himself before he inhaled the water.

Konoha had sent Kakashi to rescue them. But his clone, following clear instructions, had possibly blown him up. Too bad he hadn't told his double not to follow through with the plan if the other ninja happened to be an ally. Really, you'd think it could reason that out on its own.

What would Lady Tsunade say, he wondered morosely, if he'd managed to kill Sharingan Kakashi?

No, the man had to be all right. His clone's memories held a brief glimpse of hand seals. The sensei broke the water's surface to take a deep breath, and then dove again, thinking through his next move. Iruka wondered if he should backtrack or continue on, hoping Kakashi catches up. By now, he knew the scroll he carried could not possibly be only a C-class, not with how many high level ninja they'd had to evade. It probably was not even intended for Stone, but the chunin continued in that direction nonetheless. He was much closer to the Stone village and had a better chance of making it there. Hopefully, he'd find sanctuary when he arrived.

However, if Kakashi was behind him and possibly injured, he had to go back. Iruka broke through the surface of the water again, this time climbing shakily onto the river bank. Swimming against the current would require more strength and chakra than he could afford.

He stole into the surrounding woods. The cold air against his wet skin caused him to shiver uncontrollably, which only made it harder to walk. After a few more trembling steps, his broken leg finally buckled beneath him. In an act of mutiny, his body refused to pull itself upright again. In fact, it was getting difficult to move at all.

The chunin's breathing slowed drastically, and he was vaguely aware that he ought to be more worried about this than he actually felt. At least his body had stopped its incessant shivering…

"Oh, I get it," Iruka thought to himself detachedly, recognizing the signs in his sluggish mind, "Hypothermia."


	3. Chapter 2

Iruka didn't recall passing out, but he must have since he was now opening his eyes to find himself tied up in the dark. Captured. The chunin stirred to test his restraints and corrected his earlier assessment. Not tied up, but wrapped tightly in emergency blankets.

"You're finally awake."

Iruka's eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He could see the copy nin's masked face hovering over him. "Hatake-san," he muttered hoarsely, "Glad to see you're okay."

"No thanks to your exploding clone." Kakashi noted wryly. "But I suppose it's a good thing you're decent enough with traps. I saw an Cloud nin who got caught in one. Or what was left of her, anyway." The copy nin's tone was light. "I always knew you had a sadistic streak in you."

Though he had meant it to be teasing, Iruka grimaced as though he'd been painfully rebuked. He lay quiet for a long moment before whispering, "I was just trying to survive."

"You don't have to justify your actions. Least of all to me," the jounin muttered before switching to a more pressing subject. "And what of the others? I didn't find them. Were they captured?"

Iruka shook his head. It was difficult to tell in the dark, but it looked like tears were threatening to spill from his eyes. However his voice remained steady when he responded, "I have their ashes in vials in my vest. I didn't want the bodies falling into enemy hands."

"Then what happened to the scroll?" Kakashi pressed, mindful of his mission.

"I have it."

"No. You don't." the jounin stated flatly. "I searched you. There was one that _looked_ like it, but it was fake. A decoy? Or did someone switch scrolls on you?"

Iruka sat up slowly. "Hatake-san, how did you know it wasn't real? Since you're alive, you surely didn't open it."

"Another of your traps, then," Kakashi concluded, purposely evaded the question. "So where is the real one? Did you hide it?"

Iruka's dark eyes met the jounin with a level stare. "To be honest, I'm not fully convinced that you're the real Kakashi."

In a way, Kakashi was glad the scarred-nose chunin was cautious enough not to run his mouth. He was also irritated by the delay. Though hidden in a cave, they could still be found. And no matter how well-concealed the scroll, there was always a chance of it being uncovered. He cast about in his mind for something to verify his identity. "When I nominated Team 7 for the chunin exams, you through a hissy fit and insisted on testing them yourself first."

"Not good enough. That episode was a matter of gossip afterwards. Anyone could have found out." Iruka glared at him darkly, "And I may have questioned your judgment, but I did _not_ throw a fit."

"Okay, fine," Kakashi assented. "What about last month? I handed you a mission report that was covered in Asope leaf residue. Turns out you're allergic to Asope leaf. Also turns out you're too proud to admit you weren't alert enough to notice the residue in the first place, so you never told anyone _why_ your hands were swollen and covered in rashes."

Iruka's eyebrow ticked at the unpleasant memory. He had been pulling a double shift at the mission room after a full day of teaching in order to cover for a coworker who was grieving over the death of a sibling. Exhaustion had left him careless. And Kakashi was right; he never did divulge the source of his allergic reaction. With a nod, he acknowledged that his comrade had established his identity.

"So where's the scroll?"

"Inside my body."

"_What?_"

"When it was down to just Shiryou-san and I, we decided to make a decoy and surgically implant the real scroll in my body. Shiryou had studied to be a medical nin before becoming a teacher," Iruka explained.

"Where, exactly, did he plant it?" Kakashi pressed.

Iruka rubbed along his abdomen. "Somewhere in here. I wasn't exactly awake at the time, so I can't say precisely, but I think I feel it poking my liver."

Kakashi got up. "Well, if we have the scroll, then we'd better get moving." He held out a hand.

Iruka accepted the hand and rose stiffly. "All right, let's go."

* * *

The two shinobi traveled covertly back towards Konoha. Although Stone was indeed closer, the Mission Department intel suggested that Stone ninja may be targeting the scroll as well.

Despite the sensei's fierce protest, Kakashi was carrying him on his back. It was true that Iruka could travel by reinforcing his leg with chakra, but Kakashi preferred that he save his chakra for possible battles, as well as allow the fracture to heal quicker by not straining it. This was certainly reasonable, though still embarrassing.

Kakashi halted abruptly, jolting Iruka, who managed not to verbalize the pain.

"What are you doing?" the chunin hissed.

"We're surrounded."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup." He set Iruka down. "We may as well fight here instead of running into a trap."

Iruka nodded and stood ready to fight. The copynin, on the other hand, slouched in apparent disinterest.

A deep rumble warned the two shinobi of the landslide bearing down on them, uprooting trees in its path and carrying them along in its assault. Iruka leapt into one of the trees to avoid taking on the brunt of the impact. As the oak began to topple, he pushed off and transferred himself to an already fallen tree, clinging to it like a life raft on a sea of churning soil.

Abruptly, the landside froze in its descent. Literally. Iruka shivered as he cautiously stepped onto the now ice-encrusted earth. Kakashi lowered his hands from the position of the last seal required for the deep-freeze jutsu.

"They're Stone Black Ops," Kakashi announced as he skated toward Iruka. This squad was roughly equivalent to Konoha's Anbu. "They were probably lying low, until we started traveling away from their village rather than toward it."

The jounin anticipated that, having now seen his jutsu, the Stone nin would opt for a more close-range assault. Black Ops far outclassed the academy sensei, so it would be up to him to protect both him and the scroll.

Enemies emerged into view. They wasted no time in attacking. Kakashi engaged three of them, while one opted to go after the weaker target.

The jounin was fluid and graceful in combat, easily sliding in the spaces between attacks before lashing out with his own. He stole glances at Iruka, whose taijutsu was precise and crisp. While the sensei was holding his own and dodging assaults, the Black Op had only to land one good blow in order to finish the match.

Kakashi pulled away long enough to target Iruka's opponent with a fire-style jutsu. This move cost the Copy Nin a jarring blow to the skull from his own assailants.

Iruka took advantage of the moment of distraction Kakashi's jutsu afforded by withdrawing deeper into the forest. Kakashi tried to follow, but his hands were full as the Stone elite assailed him with weapons and ninjutsu.

What was Iruka thinking? He was going to get himself killed.

* * *

As Iruka fled into the forest, he knew Kakashi would be furious at him. But if he was going to fight this enemy, it would have to be indirectly. The sensei knew that he would not last long in a frontal assault.

He was, at least, grateful that Kakashi had carried him so far. It meant he had enough chakra to carry through with his plan.

Many shinobi believed it was no use trying to cast basic genjutsu on elite shinobi who are trained to uncover illusions. Iruka, however, took a different approach. Instead of terrorizing the target with grotesque and frightening images, he showed them what they wanted to see, what logic told them was perfectly reasonable.

This was why the Stone Black Op stood immobilized in Iruka's genjutsu.

From what the elite shinobi could percieve, he was catching up to and defeating his weaker target. Nothing suspicious about that.

Casting a detailed, realistic genjutsu required great concentration. Iruka was nothing if not detailed. Every imaginary leaf had its shadow. The invented breeze blew at exactly the same speed and direction as the real one, brushing against the enemy's skin like a caress. The smell of the illusionary chunin's fear and perspiration met the man's nostrils. Phantom bones crunched with a precise cacophony of sound.

With great difficulty, struggling to keep the genjutsu flawless while accomplishing another task, he retrieved an explosive tag from his vest and attached it to a kunai. Just as the Black Op saw himself acquire the scroll from his imaginary opponent, the sensei threw his weapon. The danger here was that, in order to focus enough to throw accurately at this distance, the genjutsu faltered just a bit. If this ninja was extraordinary, he may be able to dispel the illusion in time to react to the attack.

The explosion sent smoke billowing in all directions. It was hard to tell if the enemy had been caught in the blast or not. But Iruka did not intend to stick around long enough to find out.

Regrettably, a strong hand gripping his throat from behind and lifting him into the air prevented his escape.


	4. Chapter 3

The iron grip intensified when Iruka attempted to free himself, and he was slammed against a tree trunk, arms pinned behind him.

The smoke cleared, making it evident that his captor was not a Stone shinobi. Rather, it was a solidly built Konoha ANBU with a white fox mask.

A second ANBU entered the area. She made quick work of dispatching the Stone ninja, who had had been injured and stunned by the blast.

Next, Kakashi approached, taking in the scene with a half-lidded eye. His gaze finally rested on the sensei, who was still restrained by the first newcomer.

"That's one of ours," he informed the Fox ANBU, "Umino Iruka."

The shinobi that had pinned Iruka finally set him down. The sensei nodded politely in greeting.

"Give me the scroll." Fox demanded emotionlessly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. You see…" Iruka began, but was cut off when the man slammed him back against the tree and forcibly searched his vest. Fox was a large shinobi, whose hand easily encircled Iruka's neck.

"Where is it?" the ANBU demanded.

Iruka gasped. How was he supposed to answer while being choked?

"Relax, Fox," Kakashi cut in lazily. "You won't get it that way. The chunin squad hid it rather ingeniously."

Iruka was set back on his feet. The ANBU with the Fox mask addressed the jounin. "Where is it, Hatake-san? We _must_ take it to Sand immediately."

"My orders are to bring it to Konoha." Kakashi drawled.

"New orders." Fox handed him a mission scroll stamped with the Hokage's seal. "The scroll is time-sensitive and _must_ get to the Kazikage immediately. Racoon and I will handle that, while you escort the chunin back to our village."

Iruka was a little irked at being manhandled by an ally and called "the chunin." He had a name. And must they talk about him as though he were not there?

"Then we have a problem," Kakashi shrugged, "Because your scroll is inside my chunin."

"What?" Fox turned to fix Iruka with an evaluating gaze.

"It's been surgically implanted into his abdomen." Kakashi explained. "We'll have to stop at Konoha for the medics to remove it."

"No time," the Raccoon ANBU snapped. She pulled out a kunai. The newly sharpened blade glinted in the sunlight. "We'll have to do it the quick way."

Iruka drew back. "ANBU-san, wait! Don't…"

"You're not a medic." Kakashi cut in.

"So?" Raccoon asked, clearly not seeing the point in his line of reasoning.

"You won't be able to do it without killing him."

"It's just a matter of slicing, extracting, and stitching," Raccoon argued. "He might survive."

Kakashi tilted his head speculatively. "He might not."

"Then he'll have died for the good of the mission," she stated with an air of finality.

"Excuse me!" Iruka cried out indignantly. "Don't _I_ get a say in this?"

"He's one of the last academy teachers left alive," Kakashi continued, neither elite taking notice of the interruption. "Tsunade-sama would be angry to lose him."

"Captain Fox, your orders?" the kunoichi demanded hotly, too impatient to continue arguing with the Copy Nin.

Fox remained silent for several moments. His eyes weren't on Iruka at all. Rather he was studying the silver-haired jounin. The two stared at one another, saying nothing but somehow communicating volumes.

Finally, he turned to his subordinate. "The chunin is unlikely to survive it. And more to the point, Hatake-san will resist if we try."

Racoon put the kunai down, seeming disappointed. "So now what do we do?"

Once again, the three elite Konoha shinobi were silent.

Iruka curled his fists in irritation, his patience becoming threadbare. "Isn't it _obvious_? I'll accompany you to the Sand Village. That will save us time, and the medics there can retrieve the scroll."

"Do you think the chunin will make it?" Raccoon asked Fox. "This is an S-class mission, and he's just a desk worker."

Fox shrugged. "If he dies we can extract the scroll before disposing of the body," he reasoned.

"Good point," Raccoon nodded seriously.

With that, the matter was decided. "Kakashi, you and your chunin will accompany us to the Sand Village so we can get our scroll there in time." Fox stated.

"Fine by me," Kakashi assented.

The four ninja took off through the trees once again. Whatever anxiety Iruka may have had about embarking on his first S-class mission was replaced by quiet anger. Just a desk worker, indeed. It didn't help matters that the Raccoon ANBU casually remarked "That chunin had better not slow us down _too_ much."

* * *

Kakashi glanced at Iruka peripherally as they dashed through the trees. He knew the sensei was struggling to keep pace, but his pride had been stung and he refused to be carried or let his weariness show.

That doggedly determined look reminded Kakashi of Naruto, and he was inclined to believe that the man would sooner collapse from exhaustion than ask for a break. If Kakashi was going to keep him alive, which was preferable, the jounin would have to intervene.

"We need to stop." Kakashi said firmly.

"Why?" Fox snapped.

"Though you and Raccoon are freshly deployed, I've already gone without sleep for days. Iruka-san has been out twice as long. For overall efficiency, we should rest now."

"We don't have time."

"It will save us time in the long run." Kakashi stated reasonably. "Let's stop."

Though his tone seemed relaxed, almost bored, to an outsider, Fox knew him better than that. Kakashi had once been an ANBU captain, and both Fox and Raccoon had been under his command at one time.

The chunin observed the proceedings with interest. Though it was not a well-known fact, Iruka himself knew the identity of every ANBU. Paperwork ninja necessarily handled sensitive intelligence. Thus, he knew this seemingly casual conversation concealed a power struggle.

Who, exactly, was in charge of this mission: Kakashi the former squad lead and retired Wolf ANBU, or Hideki the current squad leader and active Fox ANBU? It would be of interest to the Hokage to know which of the two shinobi would take the lead in a joint mission, and if the other would then be able to follow orders. Insights like these were invaluable when assembling teams together.

Kakashi won. Hideki retained too much of his respect for his former captain to truly defy him. The team stopped and set up camp, placing traps around the perimeter.

Iruka nearly collapsed as he settled down to rest. His injured leg was swollen now. A large stone served to keep it elevated as he loosened the now painfully tight bandages that held his makeshift splint together.

Kakashi knelt in front of the chunin. Pulling out some cloths, he performed a few quick handsigns and cast a ninjutsu that chilled the material, creating an instant ice pack. His eye formed a cheery crescent as he held out the offering. "Here, this will help keep the swelling down."

"Thank you, Hatake-san." Iruka responded politely.

Fox soon joined them. He regarded Iruka's leg, as well as his various other injuries. "This is unacceptable," he muttered. "Raccoon, come here."

The other masked ANBU glided over. She was the opposite of Fox in build. Her slender frame looked deceptively frail. Her long, midnight blue hair was tied up in an elegant knot on her head.

Iruka inwardly shrunk back at her approach. Despite her less threatening stature, he had more to fear from the small kunoichi than either of his other teammates.

The Missions Desk Workers classified Ara Nami, the Raccoon ANBU, as M.I.R.F. (Mildly Insane yet Reasonably Functional). This meant that, while her state of mind was questionable, it did not impede her from accomplishing mission objectives. She would not be eligible for squad leadership, but was an otherwise capable kunoichi.

Still, MIRF ninja could be unpredictable. If Iruka remembered right, she was due for another evaluation in two weeks. Eventually, MIRF ninja would be discharged from ANBU service before too much damage was done. Kakashi had been MIRF once, and the separation from ANBU had done him much good.

Fox jerked his thumb towards Iruka. "The chunin's physical condition is in danger of impeding this mission. We must take measures to see this doesn't happen."

"What do you suggest?" Raccoon asked.

"N-no! I'm fine," Iruka insisted. "I can still travel, and fight if it comes to that."

"I think inducing him into a coma should do it." Fox said, ignoring him completely.

Iruka shook his head, "Really, I'm all right…"

The ANBU were not paying attention to him. Instead, Raccoon began a series of handsigns.

"Be gentle." Fox warned.

"Kakashi-san!" the sensei tried, swallowing his pride to request assistance. _Someone _had to realize how crazy this was! The Copy Nin, however, just shrugged. His one visible eye suggested he was smiling.

Raccoon completed her series of signs and the world faded to black.

* * *

The moment his body reached an acceptably rested condition, Kakashi opened his eyes and sat up. One did not have the luxury of waking up slowly while on a mission.

To his left, Iruka lay prone in a restorative coma. It was one of Raccoon's most useful skills. She could place others into a deep trance and, once in this coma-like state, the person's body underwent accelerated healing and chakra restoration.

Of course, it also left the person unequivocally vulnerable and defenseless until the process was over. Kakashi wasn't sure that he trusted the two ANBU enough to allow himself to go under. Besides that, Raccoon's technique was limited to one person at a time.

"Sleep well?" the female ANBU questioned, landing softly before him.

"As well as can be expected," Kakashi replied.

Racoon nodded knowingly, then fixed her dark gaze on Iruka. "Fox is patrolling the perimeter. He's eliminated one small squad, but it doesn't look like any others are onto us yet. He wants to move out if the chunin has recovered enough."

She slid over to the man in question and examined the formerly swollen leg. The limb had returned to its natural size. "Looks healed to me."

Her slender hands trailed up to Iruka's torso and pulled his shirt up to reveal the bandages underneath, stained brownish red with dried blood. After pulling these away, it was apparent that the deep punctures and open wounds were now no more than small scrapes and bruises. Raccoon brushed her fingertips along the sensitive, newly-healed skin. "Good body, for a desk worker," she observed.

"He's obviously healed." Kakashi noted. "You can put his shirt down."

"Jealous?" Raccoon winked. "Don't worry; I think your body's better."

She scooted up to where she could get a good look at Iruka's face. "I don't see why you and Fox are so concerned about keeping him alive." Her fist seized a handful of dark brown hair, and she angled his head from one side to another, studying his features.

Kakashi sensed that Iruka's survival may hinge on giving her the right answer to her question- that is, an answer she could accept.

"Do _you_ want to teach pre-genin parasites?" Kakashi asked, "Or spend hours filing away mission reports?"

She cringed in revulsion, as he knew she would.

"Iruka-sensei is a tool, Raccoon." Kakashi expounded mildly. "Different than you or I, yes, but a tool nonetheless. He has his place, and we have ours."

"Ah." Raccoon nodded, satisfied with that explanation. Her other hand reached out to trace the long scar across his face. "We can't allow Konoha to lose too many tools."

"Exactly." Kakashi agreed. "However, he's not a toy, so quit playing with him. Just wake him up."

"Oh...still jealous?" she smirked, before standing up and performing the proper seals.


	5. Chapter 4

"In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules…are lower than garbage. However, those who do not care for and support their fellows are even lower than that!"  
~ Hatake Kakashi, Naruto Shonen Jump Graphic Novel Vol. 2

They were nearly halfway to the Sand Village before they stopped for their next real break. As the two ANBU left to secure the perimeter, Iruka slid to the ground, removing his sweat soaked hitai-ate and allowing the breeze to cool his face.

ANBU travelled at a grueling pace. Their speed was incredible, and they stopped for almost nothing. Chasing escaped pre-genin pranksters was nothing compared to this. Iruka chuckled to himself, thinking about how much quicker he'd catch those troublemakers when he finally made it back to Konoha.

Kakashi smiled- a real smile that did not crinkle up his visible eye- as he noticed the chunin's good humor. Iruka's endurance vindicated his arguments against carving the man open. If the sensei hindered their primary objective- getting the scroll to Sand in time- then safeguarding his life would be seen as a grievous error in Fox and Raccoon's eyes. For ANBU, the mission always came first.

Kakashi knew that, if pressed, he would do what was necessary to protect the sensei. The Copy Nin didn't consider Iruka a friend- he'd given up on that notion long ago- but he was still a comrade. And his own mission objective was technically the chunin's safe return to Konoha. That gave the academy sensei an odd dual role of teammate and client.

"Here," Kakashi tossed Iruka a canteen. "Drink before you pass out," he said simply.

Iruka glared at the jounin for his patronizing attitude. However, his own canteen had been lost during battle and he wasn't foolish enough to decline the offered water.

_He glares at me for offering him a drink?_ Kakashi wondered. _And I thought _I_ had no social skills._

Iruka was returning the canteen when Fox and Raccoon rejoined them. "We're making excellent time," Fox noted.

"We haven't encountered many enemies." Raccoon sounded bored and slightly put out.

"If they figured out our destination, and they may be planning an ambush." Iruka offered. He too, had wondered at their lack of obstacles.

"Perhaps. But if we get into a battle, let _us_ handle it," Kakashi stated, fixing the sensei with a stern look that brooked no discussion. "S-class missions are no place for a chunin. You just stay out of our way until we're done."

"Of _course_, Hatake-sama," Iruka replied with exaggerated respect. "I'm glad you are here to remind me of my status. Far be it from me to think I can actually contribute something to this mission."

Kakashi responded with a gracious "You're welcome," his eye turned up in that familiar crescent. Sometimes Iruka wondered if the copy nin was actually smiling, or if he merely closed his eye to imply it.

Fox however, was not as inclined to overlook the defiance. He jabbed a finger at Iruka's chest. "We don't need desk workers with delusions of grandeur ruining this mission," he growled fiercely. "Your only job here is to carry that scroll. Leave everything else to us. That is an order."

If Iruka thought jounin could be overbearing and difficult to work with, he was quickly learning that ANBU were much worse.

To be fair, Kakashi and Fox were right about the need for him to lay low in upcoming fights. Combat was not his specialty. The anticipated enemies were all A-rank fighters or better. If his squad mates had to constantly worry about protecting him, they'd be at a disadvantage. Still, could they not trust him to come to that decision on his own? Did they honestly think him so stupid as to charge into situations for which he was not suited?

This whole mission was well outside his usual mode of operating. Iruka was patient, inventive, and detailed. His tougher missions required delicate planning, sharp intuition, and a fair amount of trickery.

Here, they were stealthily speeding through the wilderness in a race against time, in too much of a hurry to lay traps or create false trails. If opposition presented itself, they blasted their way past it in violent fashion. A bit heavy-handed, but it worked for these elite combat ninja.

Iruka wondered briefly about the consequences if they did not beat the time limit. Some scrolls were designed to self destruct if not in the proper place by a certain time. He sincerely hoped this wasn't one of them.

* * *

They planned to rest through the daylight hours. At nightfall, they would begin cutting through River Country, a small nation that shared a border with Sand. Guard shifts were assigned, though Iruka was not included in the rotation. Fox wasn't kidding when he'd said Iruka's _only_ job was to carry the scroll.

After two hours of fitful starts and restless shifting, the sensei accepted that he just wasn't able to sleep. He slipped away from his slumbering comrades, taking care to remain within the layers of traps that encircled their location.

Supposing that he may as well be productive with his time, the sensei began a series of kata. He was nearly through the first form when he sensed that he being watched.

Fox should be patrolling the outer perimeter of their camp, and Iruka was just near the inner boundary. Kakashi and Raccoon had been sleeping at the campsite. So who was watching him?

The sensei closed his eyes, pretending to rest, as he listened with chakra enhanced senses. At first the beating of his own heart superseded other sounds. Tuning that out as white noise, he listened to the light scurrying of woodland creatures, leaves rustled by the wind, birds fluttering their wings. Nothing threatening. Again he picked through the dissonance of the quiet forest, tuning out the noises that didn't concern him. He heard a snake winding through the grass, ants crawling up the tree trunks and, finally, the beating of another human heart in the branches above.

He flung a kunai toward that heart.

Kakashi casually dropped down from the branches, eye crinkled up in an arch as though he'd been politely greeted rather than attacked.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Iruka cried. "I could have killed you!"

The Copy Nin shrugged, his bored expression broadcasting just how unlikely he found that scenario. "You should be sleeping."

"I couldn't." Iruka didn't mention that flashbacks and nightmares of his squad's massacre were keeping him awake. When he closed his eyes he could still see the blood. "Don't worry. I'm a teacher; I have a high tolerance for sleep deprivation."

"Well then, do you want to spar?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka turned back in surprise. He had expected to be ordered to rest, lest he become even more of a vulnerability.

"Nothing too grueling," Kakashi added, "Just a taijutsu match. No weapons, no chakra. It may wear you out enough for a dreamless sleep." The jounin knew what it was to have sleep stolen by troubling memories. Iruka didn't have to tell him anything; his eyes said it for him.

* * *

The match between Hatake Kakashi and the scarred-nose carrier of their scroll amused Raccoon. She had woken up to the sound of fighters trading blows and was now observing with interest.

They weren't using chakra, but that made the fight no less appealing. She was familiar with her former squad captain's ferociously graceful fighting style. She had seen it many times before. So instead Raccoon fixed her eyes on Kakashi's prey.

The chunin had excellent form: feet placed just right, back straight or curved as needed in his precise stances, weight properly distributed to keep balance and lend power to his blows. His taijutsu had mechanical perfection, and yet lacked in finesse.

Watching Kakashi toy with him stirred up a desire to join the fun. He must have sensed that in her, for he shot her a look that warned her to stay away, all the while never relenting in his attacks.

The chunin spilt first blood. He had crouched to block a kick with his forearm, then brought the other arm straight up. The heel of his hand impacted with Kakashi's nose. The smell of blood called her to battle, but she hung back. Raccoon knew better than to allow bloodlust to get in the way of obedience to orders.

The prey hesitated when he saw the growing red stain on his opponent's mask, and that was all Kakashi needed. The chunin legs were kicked out from under him, and he was quickly pinned to the ground. After a few seconds, he managed to free himself enough to kick Kaskashi away from him.

Noting that Raccoon was becoming more restless as their fight progressed, Kakashi worked to end it soon. Iruka's taijutsu was decent, and he refused to leave an opening. Kakashi's throbbing nose reminded him that he actually needed to pay attention. Still, the longer they fought, the more he was able to read and predict the other ninja's movements. It was only a matter of time before he ended it.

Iruka punched and Kakashi grabbed his arm, flipping him onto the floor. The jounin moved to pin him down, but Iruka reversed them and Kakashi was pinned instead. This lasted for a few seconds before Kakashi broke free and had Iruka in a headlock, nose against the dirt. With the chunin unable to escape, the spar ended in Kakashi's favor.

"Good match," Iruka said when he finally caught his breath. The jounin was a surprising and versatile opponent. He forced Iruka to think on his feet. It had been a long time since he sparred against someone so skilled.

The sensei heard a scoff and turned to see Raccoon nearby watching. "You fight as though you just stepped out of a Konoha taijutsu manuel."

Iruka chose not to take offense. Instead, he smiled placatingly and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I _have_ been teaching taijutsu out of a textbook for over eight years."

"I suppose one can't expect much better from a chunin." Raccoon intoned, the last word uttered with distaste.

Iruka's smile slipped. "There's no shame in being a chunin. We make Konoha stable and provide it with a solid foundation. Besides, ANBU-san, there's more to being a ninja than brute strength and fighting skill."

"Why don't you tell that to your squad?" Raccoon challenged. "Oh, wait. You can't."

Iruka riled at that. His face, already flushed from the spar, reddened a bit more in anger. Even Kakashi frowned at this barb and decided to cut in. "That's enough, Raccoon."

"What? He knows it's true," the kunoichi blandly pointed out. "That academy-sensei squad was massacred because they were pathetic."

Iruka swelled with indignation, fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. Raccoon slunk closer until her masked face was mere inches away from his. "That's the cold truth of ninja life. The strong survive, and the weaklings perish. Reality sucks, eh little chunin?"

"Those _weaklings_ were fine Konoha ninja," Iruka began. Though his body trembled with anger, his voice was even and low. "More than that, they were _people_: with families, with dreams, who poured their lives into training the future of Konoha. They willingly sacrificed their lives for the success of the mission." Iruka's tone laced with reverent pride. "Han'you, Fumei, and Shiryou: they are not pathetic. They are heroes. I won't let you spit on their memory."

The wind stirred up, but all else seemed deathly silent. Raccoon and Iruka stood face to face, and the chunin knew he should be terrified. He should be, but at this moment he could feel nothing but rage, so he added softly "And as for surviving; their students-their legacy- will be around protecting Konoha long after _you've_ wasted away in an insane asylum, alone and forgotten."

The punch dislocated his jaw. Iruka looked up in a daze from his sudden meeting with the ground as Raccoon barreled toward him. "I'll _kill_ you!" she shrieked.

Kakashi caught her fists, standing between her and Iruka.

"Let me go, Kakashi! Let me go! I swear I'm going to kill him!"

"That's enough! Don't let your emotions disrupt this mission. Remember, you're an ANBU." Kakashi eyed them both. "I do _not _tolerate dissent in my squad."

Even with the mask, Iruka could tell she was glaring coldly at him. He met her gaze unflinchingly. Finally, she simply turned and vanished in the tree tops.

Kakashi knelt and silently popped the chunin's jaw back in place. "That was quite the little speech, sensei. Do you teach verbal sparring in the academy too?"

Although Iruka alone had come away injured, it was clear that he was the victor in that clash. He had purposely played on the ANBU's fear of losing her mind and every ninja's fear of dying alone and uncared for.

Now that his anger abated, he felt ashamed of his victory. "She shouldn't have mocked my teammates' deaths," he said in defense, mostly to himself. He winced and brought a hand up to his aching jaw.

Kakashi did not respond. He wanted to stick up for his former squad mate, but the chunin had a point. Kakashi wouldn't stand for anyone trashing Obito or Rin. And everyone knew the academy sensei were a tight knit group. Still, the chunin had also hit below the belt, and such blatant disrespect for a superior technically shouldn't be ignored.

Iruka rubbed the scar along his nose and sighed. "I don't understand why Raccoon-san hates me. I hadn't done anything to provoke her."

Kakashi shook his head. "The truth is you don't understand Raccoon _at all_. She doesn't hate you." He paused, then amended, "Or, at least, she didn't. She probably does now."

"Wonderful."

"But," Kakashi warned, "For the sake of this mission, you _are_ going to tolerate each other. If you two get into another fight, I'll report you both. I don't care who started it."

The sensei almost chuckled. That last line echoed what he told his Academy students nearly every day. "I understand, Kakashi-san."

Iruka taught pregenin to tolerate each other on the playing field so that, when they're grown, they'd tolerate each other on the mission field. It was time to put his own lessons to the test.


	6. Chapter 5

"The will of fire. I wonder if you have it, young as you are."  
~Sarutobi Hiruzen

It wasn't until the adrenaline drained from his system that Iruka noticed how much his jaw truly hurt. Fortunately, Kakashi had pushed it back in place so shortly after the dislocation that there was no lasting damage, only minor swelling that made speech uncomfortable.

A fitting injury, he supposed, since it was his big mouth that got him in trouble in the first place.

They had been on the move for hours, all trace of their previous camp destroyed. Now that he was rested, it was not quite as difficult to keep up with the other's movements. He was becoming more accustomed to the delicate adjustments he needed to make in his chakra to tree hop at this speed without leaving a trail behind.

Talking was out of the question, even discounting his injury, since they were maintaining absolute silence in their progress. Fox had scowled about Iruka's heart beating too loudly, but there was really nothing the sensei could do about that. His muscles needed a quick supply of oxygenated blood to maintain their current speed, so he couldn't afford to slow his heartbeat.

As he thought on the progress of the mission thus far, the chunin resolved to try his best to maintain a tolerable relationship with his superiors. This meant not heeding the urge to correct their unjust assumptions. Clearly, Fox considered him little more than a desk worker with delusions of grandeur, but at least treated him like a human being. Raccoon wouldn't deign to extend him even the dignity of humanity. And Kakashi, while by far the most agreeable, could also be infuriatingly patronizing. If the three of them insisted on clinging to their preconceptions of paperwork ninja, then it was hardly Iruka's business to correct them.

Still, Iruka reflected, the cause of the blow-up earlier had not been the need to defend himself, but his team. With their ashes still sealed in vials within his vest pockets, awaiting the return to Konoha for proper disposal, he could hardly ignore Raccoon's poisonous barbs.

More troubling was the fact that she had struck him. Iruka maintained the archives of incident report between team members; he knew for a fact that Nami had never attacked a teammate before. That she did so earlier did not speak well of her mental stability. Kakashi would not need to discipline her for it; there would serious enough repercussions when she returned to Konoha. He was thankful that her next evaluation was coming up soon anyway.

Iruka could not help but feel a twinge of guilt that it was his words that pushed her into such fierce anger. She had been cruel, but that was no reason for him to respond in kind. He had used the little bit of humanity left intact against her. Nami was still aware enough of her mental state to fear her pending insanity.

No, he had certainly done wrong by Raccoon. Before this mission was over, he would try to apologize. What such a gesture would be worth to her, he had no idea. Nevertheless, his goal was to reconcile with the kunoichi.

As though sensing that his thoughts were on her, the slender ANBU turned her head slightly and glared in his direction. It was clear she resented his presence, if not his very existence. Now was as good a time as any to take a step towards a resolution, Iruka decided. He met her frosty stare with a warm conciliatory smile.

The spike of killing intent in her chakra told him this did not have the desired effect.

* * *

Into the mind of a Mildly Insane yet Reasonably Functional ninja...

Silence. Silence. I am silence, must be silence, or the enemy will find me (kill me) and force me to silence. Shadows are my two-faced ally. They hide me. They hide my opponents.

Raccoon pushed out with her chakra, trying to sense her hidden opponents among the treacherous shadows.

Sense. Sense. Sense. Because what you don't know _will_ kill you. (Like it almost killed Fox.)

Wolf (a different face, a different mask, but he is Wolf all the same) is standing by Fox's body. The dark red liquid around Fox keeps spreading. Spreading. Spreading. But the enemy is in motion, spreading, and there is no time to think about (the growing puddle around) Fox because, because, because…

There! Elite Cloud jounin. Shinobi whose page in the Bingo book read "Avoid. Do Not Engage." Too late for that.

Attack. Attack. Attack. Closer. Closer. Get closer to that ninjutsu specialist. He can't cast ninjutsu when he's being forced to dodge. Block. Counterattack.

A dance. It is a dance. A familiar rhythm. Attack, dodge, counter, block. But the part I am waiting for is kill. Kill. Destroy. Kill.

I don't care that Fox is on the ground. Bleeding. Bleeding. Bleeding. (Like brother, all those years ago.) I only need to make sure I don't join him. And something else...

The scroll. My mission. The scroll. Where is the scroll's vessel? I can't sense it. (Perhaps it died.) That's fine, but where is the scroll? Even if _they_ have it, they can't steal it once I force them into silence. Which means…

Kill. Destroy. Kill.

There is Wolf. And his eye. The red one. He is serious now. It no longer matters, that I'm running low on chakra. It doesn't matter that Wolf is badly burnt. It doesn't matter that Fox is (dying?) being useless, just laying there. No, sitting up now (alive). Wrapping bandages to stop the bleeding.

They only had to kill. Then get their scroll to the Kazikage. But the slaughter comes first.

Where is that scroll's vessel? Where's all its big talk about camaraderie?

_"I'm sorry,"_ it had said. (Sadness shining from the ocean in his eyes)

_"I spoke out of line,"_ it had said.

_"We are all comrades and kin because we are citizens of Konohagakure,"_ it said. _"We who hide in the leaves are bound with the will of fire. No ninja has to live or die alone,"_ it claimed.

_"We are privileged to live among men and women who would die for us."_

But I know better. Ninja don't die for their comrades. They die for their mission. The scroll's vessel, (it confuses me) I hate it. Its smile irritates me most. Whenever it does it, I feel like (smiling back) ripping out his esophagus. And where is he, no, _it_, now? All that philosophy, but hiding when the real battle came.

Sense. I can sense someone. Not the vessel. Someone stronger. Much stronger.

Since that someone isn't masking their aggressive chakra, it is obvious they are coming to fight, kill, fight. And they are not afraid.

Stop. Everyone stops.

The Cloud ninja stop.

Fox stops.

Wolf stops.

(His red eye does not stop. It spins as crazily as ever.)

Everyone wants to know who the stranger is. More importantly, whose side is he on?

Emerging, as silent as death itself, comes Garra, the Kazekage.

His page in the Bingo book reads "Flee On Sight."


	7. Chapter 6

"A ninja must see underneath the underneath."  
~Hatake Kakashi

"K-Kazekage-sama, what are _you_ doing here?" a cloud ninja asked in shock.

Garra's face remained expressionless as his pale blue eyes regarded the man. "The better question is, what are _you_ doing in Sand Country?" While his tone was neutral, his aura radiated killing intent. "A scroll I've been waiting for has been delayed in coming." His chakra flared threateningly. "I think I see why." He finished.

The Cloud ninja leader assessed the situation. His squad was battle weary, far from their home country, and without backup. They were facing Sharingan Kakashi, one of Leaf's best. Now, the most powerful ninja in all of Sand was joining the fight.

They ran.

Garra impassively watched their retreat. After a moment he addressed the Konoha group. "Let's go."

"Kazekage-sama," Kakashi bowed his head quickly, "We need to find our teammate first." Iruka had made himself scarce once the fight began, as he'd been ordered to by his superiors. In the heat of battle, Kakashi lost track of him.

"I assure you, he is safe. Now, come with me." Gaara turned and led the way without bothering to see if the Konoha ninja followed.

Kakashi was suspicious, and yet a careful, scrutinizing scan with the sharingan revealed nothing of concern. The most difficult thing for an imposter to reproduce would be the tattooed kanji on Gaara's face. Kakashi's sharingan recalled every detail of it: the thickness and length of the lines, the exact tint of the dye, the precise position on the forehead. This one matched perfectly.

He pulled his hitai-ate back down over his eye. "With all due respect, Kazekage-sama, we will not continue without Umino-san. We're not giving up the scroll until he's with us." In reality, they _could_ _not _relinquish the scroll without him, but that was information he'd keep close to his vest for now.

Gaara shot Kakashi a patronizing look. "My men found him before I broke up your fight. I've sent him ahead to Sunagakure with one of my ANBU," he explained to Kakashi as though he were a slow child. "If you want to see him, then let's go."

Fox, the most seriously injured, staggered in his effort to stand. Raccoon allowed him to lean on her as they began walking, in order to increase efficiency.

Kakashi hesitated, but followed after. Something was not right. Iruka wouldn't leave them in a battle to go ahead with a foreign ninja. No way. Not unless he'd been forced.

The Copy Nin drew level with Gaara, examining him closely while appearing unconcerned.

The Kazekage was dressed in a nondescript black robe, with the sand gourd strapped to his back. The gourd matched his recollection of it, cracked in the same areas. It looked a bit more worn than when he saw it last, which was to be expected.

It was odd for a Kage to be dressed so plainly, but Gaara was an unusual ninja, to say the least. Kakashi and his squad mates had no data regarding the Kazekage's current mode of dress, so he could draw no conclusions from it.

Gaara's hitai-ate was tied loosely around his neck, half-hidden in the folds of his robe so that the symbol was not visible. Suspicious.

Then he looked down at Garra's sandals. _Gotcha,_ Kakashi thought triumphantly. The sandals were difficult to see under the cloak, but when he took a step forward Kakashi noticed that they were scuffed and worn, as though the wearer had traveled a great distance. The Village Hidden in the Sand was not all that far away.

It was likely that this Gaara was an imposter, an enemy ninja intent on stealing the scroll. Or rather, he was unaware that by seizing Iruka, he had already stolen it. Should he play along in hopes of finding the chunin? Or should he challenge him now?

The shinobi had great skill to pull off so convincing an illusion. Kakashi's sharingan could detect no jutsu. Gaara's chakra signature was normal. For a moment, the jounin doubted himself. Sandals were not much to go on. Perhaps he was wrong about this being a trap. Perhaps the Kazekage had been away on a mission. Perhaps Iruka _did_ go ahead without them, since there was little he could do to dissuade an ANBU escort.

Still, his gut instinct told him something was amiss. Kakashi had not lived this long by ignoring his instincts. If this ninja was an imposter, he had to know if there were others around. Kakashi cast his chakra like a net over the area, reaching out, trying to sense out others.

"Is something wrong, Hatake-san?" Gaara inquired when he felt Kakashi's exerted chakra.

"Nothing. I'm just keeping alert for enemies."

The Kazekage nodded. "Sense anything?"

"No," Kakashi admitted. He made his decision. If they were alone, this was the best time to confront him, rather than let him lead this squad into an ambush. "But I would like to know who you _really_are."

Gaara blinked lazily, "I don't know what you mean. I am Gaara of the Desert, but you already know that. We don't have time for stupid questions."

Kakashi grabbed the shinobi's shoulder, pushing him back into a tree and holding a kunai to his gut. The fact that a shield of sand had not emerged brought a vindicated smile to the Copy Nin's face. "Liar."

Gaara's dark rimmed eyes widened, then relaxed. His normally passive features broke into a smile. The look was out of place and, if anything, made the imposter appear more demented. "What gave it away?"

There was a tense pause as Kakashi weighed his strategy. His two ANBU teammates had not noticed the deception, but were now reaching for their weapons as well. This imposter was outnumbered. Yet if his chakra was as strong as it felt, they were in for a tough fight.

"It's the voice, isn't it?" Gaara continued, mouth now ticked downwards in a slight frown. "I _knew_ it was a little off. I can't get it quite right. It's been so long since I last saw Gaara and, well, this _was_ a rather last minute plan. If I'd had more time to practice…"

Did this guy just forget that he had a kunai at his gut? Or was he toying with them? Kakashi interrupted with a light jab. "Who are you?" he growled.

"Relax! It's Iruka," the imposter winced.

When Kakashi didn't back down, the fake Gaara added, "You know, your _teammate_? 'The chunin'? or 'the scroll's vessel'?" The kunai was digging painfully in his flesh and the words were spilling faster. "I teach in the academy, take Naruto out for ramen, I'm allergic to Asope leaf…agh! Kakashi get off me or I swear your next mission will be so deep in swamp country you'll have slime oozing from your ears for months!"

Kakashi blinked and drew back. He released Iruka's shoulder and tilted the hitai-ate on the man's neck. He saw the leaf symbol engraved there. "Gaara" scowled and rubbed the sore spot.

"How are you doing that?" Kakashi asked.

"You act like you've never seen a transformation technique before," Gaara-Iruka commented. "I'm sorry your academy training was so substandard."

"That is no ordinary transformation jutsu." Fox snapped, annoyed. "Don't give us that drivel."

Rubbing at his non-existent scar, the chunin reluctantly admitted, "It's… a family thing."

"A kekkai genkai?" Fox pressed.

"Nothing so grand." Iruka scoffed. "I mean the technique was passed down in my family through generations." His face flushed a little, but still being disguised as Gaara, it looked so odd. "And I shouldn't have to tell you this jutsu is highly confidential. The more people who know of it, the less useful it becomes."

"Your chakra feels like Gaara's. You don't actually…" Raccoon began.

"Have Gaara's abilities? No, not at all- as Kakashi so aptly demonstrated." For Iruka, slipping into lecture mode was the most natural thing in the world. "It's a forged chakra signature. There's no actual change in my skill, power, or speed. In reality, this is little more than a basic henge technique, but refined to perfection."

"Then what were you doing interrupting our battle?" Kakashi frowned. "What if they saw through your bluff, or if they decided to attack anyway? You'd be dead."

"I had to risk it." Iruka said firmly.

"You jeopardized the mission."

"I saved your lives," the chunin countered hotly. "You honestly expect me to sit back and watch more of my teammates die? I'd rather commit seppuku." The words left his mouth before he thought, and he regretted them immediately, knowing that Kakashi's own father had died that way.

If Iruka's words stung, the jounin didn't let it show. "Whatever. Just drop the illusion. If we run into actual Sand ninja, they won't take kindly to someone impersonating their Kazekage."

"Right." To the other's surprise, instead of popping back into original form amidst a burst of chakra smoke, Gaara's form began to shift and stretch, gradually becoming taller. Short red hair lengthened and darkened, while pale skin browned into Iruka's natural coloring. The transformation was fascinating to watch.

Finally, Iruka's body was back to normal form. Breathing heavily and hands shaking, his black robe morphed into his navy blue uniform, and Gaara's gourd became Iruka's vest and pack.

Kakashi now understood what Iruka meant by a henge refined to perfection. This technique wasn't an illusion that Iruka continually expelled chakra to uphold. Instead, it was a true transformation, using chakra first to change his form, and then once again to change back. He could likely remain in his altered state while asleep or unconscious, since he didn't seem to need chakra in between transformations. A highly useful skill.***** If Kakashi hadn't burned so much of his own chakra already, he would have taken a peek with his sharingan.

Once the team moved on to a safer, more defensible location, they stopped to take care of their wounds. Raccoon had the worst of her wounds treated and then took a soldier pill to place Fox, the most badly injured, in a restorative coma. The female ANBU cleaned and bandaged the unconscious Fox's wounds to prevent infection before they healed. Meanwhile Iruka treated Kakashi's burns.

The chunin's hands shook as he applied cooling salve on Kakashi's shoulders and back. "What's wrong?" the jounin queried.

"Nothing too serious. The burns are mostly second degree, and-"

"No. I meant what's wrong with _you_. You're shaking."

"I'm fine. Transforming just takes a lot out of me." Iruka explained, his voice thinly veiled with pain. His chakra was significantly drained, and his abdomen was cramping up painfully. The scroll had shifted during the transformation, and its new location was not at all comfortable. "I'll be fine, but I may not be able to keep our usual pace."

"We're close enough now that it doesn't matter," the Copy Nin assured.

There was a long silence, penetrated only by the sounds of medical supplies being retrieved and applied. Raccoon checked on Fox. Now that he was in a restorative coma, none of the injuries should put him in mortal danger. Had the fight gone on much longer, things may have ended very differently for any of them.

She was discomfited to realize that Iruka had quite possibly saved one or more of their lives. "If you can do such high level jutsu, why aren't you a jounin?" she asked.

Iruka shrugged. "What you just saw is the only high level jutsu I know. My proficiency is with the basics."

"The only one you _know_, but not the only one you're capable of learning" Kakashi remarked offhandedly. "Konoha needs more jounin. You're lacking in certain areas, but given enough time and the right training, you just might qualify."

"Perhaps," Iruka replied vaguely, now wrapping sterile bandages loosely around the copy nin's torso.

"I think you could," Kakashi persisted, "Especially if you had the right trainer." He fixed the chunin with a steady gaze. "Like me, for instance."

Iruka raised his brows in surprise. Did Sharingan Kakashi- the man of a thousand jutsu- just offer to train _him_? The sensei recovered quickly, mentally berating himself for thinking like a star-struck fan.

"I appreciate the encouragement, Hatake-san, but I don't wish to pursue jounin training," he stated, firm but characteristically polite.

"Why not?"

The many answers flit rapidly through Iruka's mind, as he tried to frame his answer:

_Because enemy ninja__expect__jounin to be a threat and keep a closer eye on them. Being a no-name chunin makes being a semi-spy and intelligence agent much easier._

He obviously couldn't reveal _that_.

_Because my chakra reserves are very limited. Even with strict chakra control, it's still necessary to avoid jutsu that drain massive amounts of chakra, or else the toll on my body would effectively negate the jutsu's usefulness. The single exception of that is the Master Henge, whose full draining effects would not be experienced until I choose to release the transformation._

No, there was no need to divulge a physical disadvantage.

_Because I can't continue as a Mission Room worker if I'm constantly leaving on missions. The Third's untimely death has left Konoha with a Hokage unprepared to shoulder the full administrative burden. Training Shizune to be an effective assistant in these matters takes priority. _

The fact is, Tsunade had yet to understand the intricacies and demands required of being a "paperwork ninja." The Mission Room should _not_ be a dumping ground for ninja who couldn't cut it elsewhere. Yet she had a habit of bringing in staff that Iruka felt were not up to par. He suspected that this laxity was the reason for their current crisis.

But he would not tell them anything that reflected poorly on their leader, or that revealed too much about the inner workings of the Mission Room.

_Because taking a person's life still makes me ill. The psychology ninja were not much help in this matter. Combat sickness is something I will likely deal with for the rest of my life._

He didn't _want_ to tell them that. He put up with enough condescending attitudes as it was.

Iruka settled for the fifth reason. "Because I wouldn't be able to teach in the academy if I became a jounin. Teaching and building up the next generation- that's what I live for."

"I understand." Kakashi nodded knowingly, a smile in his eye. "If that's really how you feel, you must be far too insane to qualify for promotion."

* * *

**PLEASE NOTE:**

* The idea for the Master Henge comes from Goldenkizamu's "Paperwork Ninja Memories" and "As Strong As Need Be." (However, my all-time favorite of Golden's works is "True Confessions of a Paperwork Ninja." You should all read it.) I take no credit for the concept behind the technique.

Anyway, I have permission to use the jutsu with complete impunity. In Golden's stories, it is known as the Perfect Henge. I changed some aspects of the technique (particularly the preparations needed beforehand with the Perfect Henge), and to reflect that I have called it a Master Henge.


	8. Chapter 7

"What is love?" ~Gaara

The drab, dusty Sand Village in the distance was by far the most welcome sight the Konoha squad had seen in days. Gaining entrance to said village required the four ninja to maneuver through the canyons that created a natural barrier of protection for Sunagakure. As close as they were, the Suna ninja had to be aware of their presence, yet it seemed they'd be left alone until they reached the village proper.

"When the scroll is removed," Fox spoke suddenly, "we should be present. I don't like the idea of leaving a Leaf shinobi alone in a Sand medic's hand."

"You suspect assassination?" Raccoon inquired skeptically.

"No, not in these circumstances," Fox assessed. "But you know that some secrets can be extracted from a ninja's body, blood, or DNA." He glanced Iruka's way, a bemused look in his eyes. "Our chunin has proved that we don't know what all he's hiding."

"The three of us being present would seem threatening," Kakashi commented. "I should be the one attending the operation, with the reasoning that my eye can guide them to the exact location of the scroll. Then I can watch for anything suspicious."

Iruka listened to the discussion, but walked in silence, resigned to the fact that the other three would always talk about him as though he wasn't there.

"Does that sound reasonable to you, Iruka-san?" Kakashi asked.

The sensei looked up in suprise. "Uh…yes, that sounds fine."

* * *

The squad had been expected, and thus there was minimal fuss in their being conducted to the Kazekage's office. Iruka couldn't help but notice again how monotonous and drab Sunagakure appeared compared to Konoha. Even in the Kage's office, the surroundings were the same shades of tan and brown. Maybe he could get his students in the academy to paint a mural, and donate it to Suna as a gift of goodwill.

Iruka's thoughts were brought back to the present when the Kazekage rose from his seat. The sensei was pleased to note that he had been only a half-centimeter off in his guess of how much taller Gaara may have become in the time since the chunin exams. The clothes, of course, had been way off, but the details were memorized for future reference. Iruka also took note of the very subtle difference in Gaara's eyes. It pleased him immensely to see that the dead, murderous stare had become more human.

Right now those slightly more human eyes reflected annoyance as he addressed the squad. "I hope you've brought the right scroll with you this time."

Kakashi verbalized their reassurance and the chunin fought to keep the blush off his face. Iruka hadn't known about the wrong scroll being brought here earlier. That was an utter embarrassment to his department.

"Well?" Gaara demanded, when they didn't immediately hand over the document.

Kakashi's expression became cheery. "Ah, Kazekage-sama, you may have it, of course, but we'll need a surgeon first." He waved a hand in Iruka's direction. "To ensure its safety along the journey, we have implanted it inside Umino-san here." Thankfully, he didn't further disgrace Konoha by revealing the forbidden scroll had been heading toward the wrong destination as well.

Gaara's eyes trailed slowly over the famous Sharingan Kakashi, then the two masked ANBU elite, before finally settling on the chunin. Iruka kept his posture straight and his head angled confidently, though he truly was exhausted and would have rather allowed himself to slouch a bit, like the scoundrel jounin beside him.

"Umino…?" Gaara prompted, requesting the given name. His dark rimmed eyes held a questioning look, and Iruka realized immediately how odd it would seem for an unknown chunin to be keeping company with such powerful Konoha ninja. That would draw unwanted attention to himself. It was not a good thing to raise the curiosity of foreign nations, especially not in his line of work. He needed a good reason to be here. One that would not further embarrass his nation, preferably.

"Umino Iruka," he introduced himself, bowing deeply. "I am here as a representative of the Missions Department of Konohagakure to offer in person my most sincere and humble apologies for the previous blunder. Please forgive us for the trouble it may have caused you, Kazekage-sama. I assure you that all measures have been taken to…" Iruka trailed off as it became apparent Gaara was no longer listening. In fact, the young Kage appeared deep in thought.

"Umino Iruka," Gaara repeated to himself ponderously.

The Konoha squad tensed invisibly, not quite sure what to make of the Kazekage's unexpected interest. They waited for the Sand Leader to continue.

"You are Naruto's teacher?" Gaara inquired finally.

"I…well, his former academy teacher, yes," Iruka corrected.

"You're important to him." Gaara stated.

It was not a question, but with nothing else to fill the uncomfortable silence, Iruka dredged up a meek smile and answered anyway. "Perhaps."

"No. You _are_."

The ANBU in the room were discomfited with the direction of this conversation. They were here to deliver a scroll, after all, not engage in idle chit chat. Even Kakashi was uncomfortable with the Kazekage's attention to the sensei.

Gaara paid no heed to anyone in the room besides the scarred nose shinobi, fixing him with an unreadable gaze, "And Naruto…you love him?"

Iruka blinked in surprise. That was quite an unexpected question.

Countless shinobi believe that admitting love is tantamount to declaring weakness. Iruka was not one such shinobi. "Yes. I do."

Gaara silently considered the man before him for a few moments, while Iruka's skin crawled with the claustrophobic feeling of a caged creature on display. "Why?"

"Kazekage-sama," Kakashi intervened, "If we are to meet the time limit, we should extract the scroll immediately." He wasn't sure what was going on between Gaara and Iruka, but he did not like it.

Thankfully, the Kage drew back. Turning to an aide, he ordered, "Summon Adachi Toric."

Kakashi noted how Iruka seemed to wilt at this point. Being under Gaara's scrutinizing eye must have been rather intense. The jounin also recognized the name "Adachi Toric." He was Sunagakure's most accomplished medic, rumored to have skills only slightly inferior to Tsunade herself.

In a matter of moments, a grey haired man of medium build entered the room. His attire identified him as a medical ninja. He turned curious eyes on the three masked Konoha shinobi before directing those silver-blue eyes to the Kazekage and bowing low. "You summoned me, Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes, I need you to extract a scroll that has been implanted in that Konoha ninja's body." Gaara instructed.

Toric noticed Iruka for the first time. Instead of looking him in the eyes, the medic seemed taken by the long, horizontal scar. The medic bowed his head and introduced himself. "Adachi Toric. And you are?"

"Umino Iruka," the chunin bowed stiffly in turn.

"A pleasure to meet you," the medic smiled warmly, attention still on the chunin's marked nose. "You know, there are ways to reduce the appearance of hypertrophic scars like those. The method would vary, depending on its age. Have you had it long?"

"Long enough," Iruka smiled back. "It doesn't bother me, really. Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. It's best to realize the strength and move on."

"Adachi-san, he is not here for plastic surgery." Gaara deadpanned. "I want the scroll."

Toric lowered his head contritely. "Of course, Kazekage-sama."

Kakashi secured permission to attend the surgery, but, as expected, the Sand were not willing to have all the Konoha ninja present. It would have crowded the surgery room and created unnecessary distraction for the surgeon.

Toric began to lead Iruka and Kakashi out of the office and to the operating room. A private clinic in the Kazekage Tower would be utilized for this occasion.

"Adachi-san." Gaara called out abruptly, just as the medic opened the office door to exit.

The medic turned quickly and bowed. "Yes, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara's pale blue eyes bore into the elder's. He was silent for a moment, as though weighing out his words. "Take good care of Umino-san." He said finally. "I'd be disappointed if anything were to happen to him."

Toric raised surprised eyebrows, and considered Iruka anew. Why was this man so important to the leader of the Sand Village? His question was left unasked, as he merely bowed one more time. "Of course, Kazekage-sama."


	9. Chapter 8

"We ninja of the Sand aren't as easygoing as those of the Leaf." ~ Kankuro

Kakashi remained alert as Iruka was prepped for surgery. The most skilled medic in the Land of Wind was a meticulous surgeon. He set out and sterilized each instrument in turn, laying them on a metal tray beside the operating table. As he did so, he gave quiet instruction to a couple of genin medical students.

Iruka lay shirtless on the operating table. His tanned skin bore more scars than one would expect on a teacher and desk worker. And they were certainly more than paper cuts.

Paradoxically, like the distinctive scar on his face, the pale markings along his body afforded him a gentle, almost vulnerable appearance. As the jounin considered them, he noted that the majority of the scars seemed older, and suggestive of torture. That raised some curiosity, but Kakashi knew he would never ask. One of the many unspoken rules among ninja was that such experiences were never dredged up.

Kakashi also noticed that Iruka kept giving the medic anxious looks when the man's back was turned, though he wasn't sure if it was Toric himself, or the coming medical procedure that was causing the anxiety.

"We're ready to begin." Toric announced, his weathered face partially covered with a surgeon's mask. He was a stickler for procedure. Except for the patient, everyone in the room was given sterile gloves, medical robes, and a white surgeon's mask. Kakashi had shrugged and slipped it on over his black one.

The medic held out a long needle to one of his student. "To start, let's put the patient to sleep," he instructed. The genin nodded and brought the syringe to the chunin's arm.

Iruka caught the youth's wrist. "I'd rather be awake," he explained apologetically.

"Very well," Toric selected a different syringe and prepared to administer the injection himself. As the needle approached the exposed abdomen, Iruka caught that one as well.

"It's just a local anesthetic to numb the area," the medic explained. "You won't fall asleep."

"No injections." Iruka insisted simply.

Toric furrowed his brow. "Aren't you being a little paranoid, Umino-san?"

"Ninja are supposed to be cautious, Adachi-san," he replied easily.

"Well then, I'll strap your body to the table to prevent you from jerking from the pain, and give you a cloth to bite on," Toric sighed. "Is that acceptable?"

Iruka nodded, and the two genin made said preparations, attaching tough leather straps through slits in the operating table and using them to tie the patient firmly to its surface. Kakashi had to smile when Iruka carefully sniffed the sterile cloth for foreign substances before allowing it to be placed in his mouth. Like a true shinobi, this school teacher wasn't letting his guard down. It made him just a little bit proud, even if the paranoid man was in for a lot of pain.

"Do you see the scroll?" Toric asked.

Kakashi activated his Sharingan. Though it wouldn't show chakra flow as clearly or to the extent of a Byakugan, it revealed enough. The scroll had been infused with some of the dead academy sensei's chakra, and thus appeared to have a pale orange color, while Iruka's was an oceanic blue-green.

The copy nin confirmed the location. He kept his eyes on the surgeon's hands as the first incision was made. Iruka's fingers tightly clenched the sheets on the operating table, but he made no sound.

While Kakashi guided the medic in his incisions, the genin concentrated on controlling the bleeding and used chakra to relieve a little of the pain.

Toric proceeded to cut through layer after layer of tissue and muscle. Beads of sweat began to form on his brow, which the genin reached up to wipe it away. When Iruka groaned into the cloth, the other genin renewed the offer for anesthesia, which the chunin again refused with a shake of his head.

Toric got closer to the goal, then suddenly pulled his hands away from the open cavity. "How the hell did you get this thing in him?" Toric frowned. "It's completely entangled by veins, arteries, and intestine."

Kakashi and Iruka exchange a glance. The scroll must have shifted when Iruka used his jutsu to transform into Gaara's form and back.

"The medic who implanted it is dead. Mission casualty," Kakashi covered using truth to conceal the truth. "We can't say what she did or how."

The exchanged glance was not missed by the elder medic. "This is a risky surgery. There is a real chance he won't survive." The elder's sharp silver-blue eyes snapped on Kakashi's accusingly. "And if he dies, Leaf can charge Sand with killing one of its own nin while on a cooperative mission."

"That's ridiculous. We're not looking for a fight."

"How can I believe that? Our villages might have reconciled after the Sound invasion, but there's still anti-Suna sentiment in Konoha," Toric pointed out. "Leaf may be seeking an excuse to say that we've broken our pact."

Kakashi shook his head. At the moment, Konoha was in no condition to pick fights. Of course, Suna and the other nations had been led to believe that the Leaf Village was as strong as ever. He could not afford to disillusion them, so he redirected. "Look, we didn't intend to hide the scroll this way," he stated reasonably. "It was the result of a field operation. With so many obstacles, it was the best way to prevent theft."

Toric considered him skeptically, disbelief written plainly over his face.

Waving a hand toward the operating table, Kakashi continued. "In case you've forgotten, Adachi-sama, your Kazekage did order you to take good care of him."

Toric bristled at that, but he was also clearly uneasy. Instead of responding, he grabbed a brush and parchment from a drawer and began quickly inscribing something.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked.

"As head of the Suna Medical Corps, I'm writing out an official waver," the medic stated. "I will only perform this surgery if you and Umino-san sign it."

"What waiver?"

"It states that you were supervising the operation and, should the patient die as a result of this surgery or its complications, neither I nor my village will be held responsible." Toric finished the document with hasty strokes and sealed it with the Sand Medic Corps insignia.

"I'm not signing anything." Kakashi stated flatly.

"Then get the scroll out yourself!" Toric snapped angrily. "The Kazekage won't be pleased with how you're trying to trick us. It's ridiculous that you should implant the scroll in so dangerous a position."

"Calm down. I told you we're not looking for a fight."

The surgeon's eyes narrowed. "Then why send a chunin on an S-class scroll delivery?" He slapped his gloved, blood-stained hand against a counter, anger punctuating his words. "I'll tell you why. Because he's expendable. You're Hokage didn't want to sacrifice one of her real warriors."

Kakashi was silent. It certainly did look that way. The details of the mission were classified so they couldn't disclose what really happened. Besides that, there was no reason for Toric to believe them. "Let me see that document."

Kakashi read it aloud, slowly and carefully, next to Iruka. The waiver seemed straightforward. It gave a few details about the complexity of the surgery and absolved Toric and the Sand from any responsibility in the event of Iruka's death, so long as all reasonable measures were taken to prevent it. "What do you think, Iruka-san? Do we sign it?" He could use the opinion of a paperwork ninja at this point.

The chunin's eyes were clouded with pain. After all, he was still lying on the operating table with his innards exposed as the other two argued. He pushed the cloth out with his tongue. "It…sounds okay…to me…but I…can't think straight." Iruka drew in some pained gasps. "You decide Kakashi-san…I'll trust you."

Those last three words fell like a great weight on Kakashi's shoulders.

The jounin read and reread the waiver several times, looking for possible ulterior motives. He didn't want to drag this process out any more than necessary, but he wasn't going to walk into some bureaucratic trap. Finally he glanced up. "Remove the word 'reasonable.'"

"What?" Toric looked up at him from his current task of cleaning the bloodstain he'd left on the counter.

"It says that you are clear from all liability of Umino-san's death provided that all _reasonable_measures are taken to prevent it. Remove the word 'reasonable,' and we'll sign."

"Hatake-san," the medic sighed, "Some measures may _exist_ that are beyond my ability to perform. I can't promise that _all_ measures will be taken."

"I don't wish for you to kill my partner, then leave us to argue over the definition of 'reasonable.' If he's dying, you save him. Got it?"

This brought the two into another argument, before they finally compromised. The word "possible" took the place of "reasonable."

Kakashi read over the document one last time. Finally, he sighed. "Ok, let's sign."

Iruka's "signature" was little more than a shaky scribble. Kakashi's was only slightly better. But that was normal.

"All right." Toric nodded seriously, pulling on a set of clean, sterile gloves to replace the last ones that he'd contaminated by touching the counter and handling the document.

His face set in grim determination as he took up a fresh scalpel. "Let's do this."


	10. Chapter 9

"You put in so much effort, the operation will definitely succeed." ~Maito Gai

The surgery was slow and meticulous. As it became more delicate, the genin assistants were replaced with experienced healers. Too many blood vessels were in the way, and keeping the bleeding under control was proving to be a challenge.

Finally, three and a half hours into surgery, Toric glanced at Kakashi grimly. "I've been trying to avoid this, but to get around without cutting more of the major arteries, I'll have to remove a portion of his jejunum."

Ninja were intimately knowledgeable of human anatomy, so Kakashi knew the jejunum was the roughly eight foot section of the small intestine that was responsible for the absorption of the majority of nutrients. "And what are the risks?"

The elder shook his head, a bit exasperated and very tired. "Where do I start?" Toric muttered. "I can reattach the jejunum afterwards, but there's a chance he'll suffer irreversible effects. He may have abdominal pain and bowel problems for the rest of his life. He may never be able to properly absorb nutrients from his food again. Malabsorption would lead to a host of other complications, such as anemia, muscle spasms, poor blood clotting, bone pain, easy bruising, vomiting, muscle wasting…"

Kakashi grimaced as the medic rattled off complications that built upon complications. "And what are the odds of that happening?"

"There isn't exactly a handbook for this situation, Hatake-san. I don't know the statistics, but it's far from unlikely," the surgeon warned. "Whatever the complications, at least he'd probably survive. If I have to sever more major blood vessels, his chance of bleeding out is almost a certainty. You know my recommendation. It's up to you."

Along with the right of supervision, the waiver had given Kakashi the responsibility of approving major medical decisions. Expanding the scope of the surgery from scroll removal to organ removal was definitely major.

"Am I clear to proceed?" Toric questioned.

Kakashi hesitated, unwilling to give the go ahead on a procedure that could effectively destroy Iruka's ninja career.

"Hatake-san, am I clear to proceed? His organs aren't going to move themselves, you know."

The Copy Ninja was struck with sudden inspiration. "Just wait a sec."

Kakashi leaned over so his face was closer to his comrade's. "Iruka-san, are you still awake? Can you hear me?"

He took the low whimper as a "yes."

"Your small intestine is blocking the scroll and that's causing problems for the medics." Kakashi wagered that, if Iruka could physically transform his body into smaller and larger forms, he must be capable of resizing his organs to accommodate such changes. "Can you thin out your small intenstine so that Toric can move it aside easily and remove the scroll?"

Toric gaped in surprise at the Konoha ninja, but Kakashi ignored him as he waited for Iruka's reply.

A grunt. Not really sure if it meant yes or no.

Before he could ask for clarification, Iruka's small intestine began to spasm and ripple. Ever so slowly, it was stretching and getting thinner, making the scroll more accessible. Kakashi felt Iruka's normally calm, ocean-like chakra pulse from him erratically. His hands, still fisted in the sheets on the table, shook with the exertion.

"Okay, you can stop," Kakashi instructed quickly.

Toric felt his mouth hanging open and quickly shut it. He reached in and easily plucked out the object in question. "Well…that's convenient."

* * *

Iruka lay unconscious in the restricted access clinic of the Kazekage Tower, hooked to various tubes and monitors. Guards kept watch over the chunin's room. His teammates were given admission, but Toric and a handful of medics were the only Sand ninja with clearance to enter.

Iruka had lost a frightening amount of blood. Unfortunately, ninja villages were very frugal with their blood banks. Every drop spared on an outsider was begrudged. Kakashi noted this and, having the same type as Iruka, donated some of his own. Still, there was only so much blood he could give without passing out himself.

That, however, was not Iruka's worst problem. During the procedure, he'd passed out from chakra exhaustion while trying to help the medics by rearranging his innards.

Kakashi mentally berated himself for failing to realize how dangerously low on chakra the chunin had been the entire time. Whether or not he'd wake up was uncertain.

Fox and Raccoon were tasked with cleaning up and sterilizing the operating room, removing all biological traces of the chunin from every instrument and destroying all bloodstained cloths and waste.

After painstakingly completed their task, they met Kakashi in the recovery room. "What's his status?" Fox demanded.

"Critical. He's slipped into a coma." Kakashi sighed. The significance was not lost on them. Raccoon could not use a restorative coma on an already comatose ninja.

The two ANBU regarded the chunin silently. His normally tanned skin was ghastly pale. "Looks like he could use a blood transfusion." Fox commented offhandedly.

Kakashi rubbed the crook of his elbow absently. "I gave what I could. The Sand provided just enough to keep him alive after that."

"His blood type?" Fox inquired curtly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, recognizing the question as the subtle offer it was. It seemed that Fox had developed the tiniest bit of concern for Iruka, though he'd be sure to deny it if pressed. How the chunin had managed to endear himself to the gruff squad leader was anybody's guess.

"O-positive" Kakashi responded.

"Hm." Fox intoned. His type-B blood was not compatible. He knew Raccoon's was also incompatible, though she had not offered.

Raccoon looked over at Fox, who nodded, having come to an unspoken agreement.

"If there's nothing we can do, we'll go now." Fox informed the Copy Nin.

Kakashi turned his head, and regretted it immediately. He was still a bit dizzy from donating. "What?"

"It's _your_ mission to get the chunin back to Konoha, not ours." Fox reasoned. His concern, apparently, only went so far. "Our mission is done. All you can do is wait for him to wake up or die. It's not like you need us."

"Right." Kakashi affirmed moodily. He noted with some unease that the prospect of Iruka's death bothered him a lot more than it should. Unreasonable, considering he barely knew the guy.

Raccoon gazed down at Iruka's deathly still form. "That's why it's better not to get attached." She commented offhandedly. "Otherwise stuff like this gets to you."

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed. With that, the subject of Iruka's condition was closed. "Make sure to report our status to the Hokage when you arrive in Konoha."

The two ANBU inclined their heads by way of salutation, and turned to leave.

"We'll ask Tsunade-sama to send Konoha medics to collect him and relieve you of your burden," Raccoon said as they left, the closest thing to comfort she could manage to offer.

* * *

Kakashi quickly discovered that Iruka had a remarkably strong will to live. That was just about the only way to explain how in 29 hours (and 38.7 minutes, Kakashi noted) the chunin regained consciousness. Toric was present at the time, and clearly shocked.

Iruka blinked and stared blearily at the copy nin, eyes struggling to focus. "Kakashi-san?" he croaked.

"He's awake? So soon?" Toric's shocked expression faded into a pleased smiled, scribbling some notes onto his clipboard. "Well, that was a success. I'll alert the Kazekage. Please make sure he doesn't attempt to exert himself." With that, he withdrew, tactfully giving the ninja their space. Of course, they weren't entirely alone. The hospital room was still heavily guarded from the outside.

The jounin poured water into a glass and settled down on the bed beside Iruka. Positioning his arms under the other's shoulders, he helped the feeble chunin sit up and take a few sips.

The sensei sighed once the cool liquid slid down his dry throat. "I take it I'm not being imprisoned or interrogated, then?" he asked weakly. It may have been an attempt at humor. Or he may have been serious.

"You can't remember?" Kakashi asked, a bit more sharply than he intended.

"It's all kind of fuzzy," Iruka frowned. His warm brown eyes looked glassy as they gazed questioningly at the Copy Nin. "Did I just fail a mission?"

"No."

"My students are okay?"

Kakashi thought back to the incident when some pre-genin accidentally blew up a portion of the Academy's west wing in a prank gone awry. Several students and three sensei had been injured. "As far as I know, nothing's up with the Academy or your brats."

Iruka visibly relaxed and leaned further back into the pillows. He was no longer distressed about his condition if there was no failed mission and his kids were all right.

"Does an S-class scroll delivery ring a bell?" Kakashi prompted finally.

Iruka thought for a moment. "Oh. Yeah."

"You passed out during the surgery and I've been watching you ever since."

Iruka frowned as he noticed for the first time, Kakashi's slightly haggard appearance. The Copy Nin seemed just a bit paler than normal, which contrasted dramatically with the darkness developing under his eye. "How long ago was that?"

"Around 30 hours, give or take." Kakashi shrugged carelessly. He certainly wasn't going to say 29.645 hours.

"Where are Fox and Raccoon?"

"They've gone back to Konoha."

Iruka looked indignant, or as indignant as a half-dead man could look. "They left you alone to watch me?"

"They weren't too keen on babysitting."

"But when were you supposed to _sleep_?" He croaked, refusing to be derailed by the jibe.

Kakashi shrugged again. "I got a lot of reading done."

The jounin heard Iruka mutter darkly about seeing how well those two would like a D-rank babysitting mission. "Ah, sensei, isn't that just a bit cruel, even for revenge?"

"You're right, Kakashi-san. I couldn't tramautize some poor child." Iruka's ire drained, too exhausted to be angry. Instead he smiled awkwardly at the jounin. "Thank you. For staying with me."

"No need to thank me." Kakashi assured. "I had to do it. My mission's not complete until you're back in Konoha."

"Yes. Of course you had to." The Iruka's smile faltered just a little. He sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. "But you're mistaken, Hatake-san. The mission's not over 'til the paperwork is in. I better see a decent report on my desk when we get back."

"Ne, Iruka-sensei, I…"

A knock interrupted and Toric slipped back inside. "Excuse the interruption, but the Kazekage would like to see you Hatake-san."

The Copy Ninja nodded and stood to leave.

"Kakashi-san." Iruka called after him. Waiting until he had the other man's attention, the sensei flashed him a wan smile. "Just…don't take too long, all right? You're notorious for being late."

The jounin smirked. Of _course_ Umino Iruka would rebuke him after only just waking up from a coma.

Kakashi went to meet the Sand leader, leaving Toric to examine the chunin. Despite their earlier disagreement, the older medic was a decent guy: very serious about his profession and very skilled. Toric had risked chakra exhaustion himself, in his endeavors to keep Iruka alive during surgery.

Still, as Kakashi walked toward the Kazekage's office, he felt a twinge of uncertainty about leaving the chunin alone with him. Why did Iruka insinuate he'd be late, and ask him not to take too long? How long did he think it would take to reach Gaara, when they were in the same tower? It made no sense.

Unless he meant don't take too long in coming back.

Kakashi created a clone and sent it back to Iruka's room.

The doppelganger walked as quickly as he could to the chunin's room while still appearing casual. First he had to get past security.

"A doppelganger," one shinobi eventually announced.

"But I'm Kakashi's doppelganger," the clone added.

"Are clones allowed in the room?" One guard asked another.

"I don't know…" he hesitated. "Hatake Kakashi is allowed in, but the orders didn't mention clones."

"Yes, but it's practically the same thing," another guard reasoned.

"For kami's sake, it's not as though I'd do anything Kakashi wouldn't," the clone pointed out, exasperated with the delay.

Finally, reluctantly, he was let in. Sand guards were perceptive and cautious, Kakashi-clone noted for future reference. Without knocking, he let himself into Iruka's room.

An unexpected scene loomed before him. Toric stood over Iruka. The medic's hand pressed a pillow against the chunin's face as the young man struggled weakly to free himself.

In less than a second (0.42 seconds, Kakashi-clone noted) the doppelganger landed a vicious punch to the medic's face, knocking him into the opposite wall. Iruka desperately sucked oxygen into his burning lungs. Kakashi-clone was briefly torn between checking on his comrade and thrashing the assailant.

He decided on the latter. Kakashi seized the medic and slammed him against the wall repeatedly. "You slimy little…"

Before Toric's head could hit the wall for the fourth time, he had gathered enough wits about him to kick off the surface with his feet and attempt to flip over Kakashi's head.

The jounin wasn't finished with him. He grabbed the medic mid-flight and pinned him to the ground.

The Sand ninja guards burst into the room, moving to separate the two men and restrain Kakashi-clone. He struggled initially but, unwilling to do anything that would cause himself to dissipate and leave Iruka alone, he allowed himself to be restrained.

"What is going on here?" A guard demanded as he helped the dazed medic get to his feet. It was obvious in their manner that these Suna nin held a great deal of respect for the elder.

"That medic was trying to suffocate my partner," Kakashi-clone spat out venomously.

"That's preposterous," a guard scoffed. "Adachi-san would _never_…"

"But I did," Toric interrupted solemnly, as he gingerly felt his aching skull for swelling.

The Suna guards exchanged bewildered glances at the confession. "Adachi-san! Why?" one red haired shinobi exclaimed.

Toric dropped his hand and sighed wearily. "Because," the elder began, fixing hate filled eyes on the chunin, "Umino Iruka kidnapped and murdered my son."

The silence was suffocating.

"Oh," the redhead managed.

Toric elaborated. "My son, Kento, was just a child, a nine-year-old civilian. He never entered a ninja academy. Without provocation, Umino stole him from me, and murdered him, ten years ago."

"That's the most ridiculous load of garbage I've ever heard!" Kakashi clone growled, having recovered from the initial shock of such an absurd accusation. "Anyone who's known Iruka at all could tell you that." He turned to the chunin, who seemed to have only just managed to catch his breath in his weakened state. "Aren't you going to say something to this?"

At that moment, the door opened again and the real Kakashi walked in. He quirked an eyebrow, quietly surveying the scene before him. "Am I missing something?"


	11. Chapter 10

Now run, run into the sunset and suffer. But don't mess up your hair! ~Maito Gai

Konoha and Suna maintained an alliance since the treaty following the Third Great Shinobi War. Sand's conspiracy with Sound to attack the Leaf Village severed that peace. However, upon discovering that Orochimaru had murdered and impersonated the Kazekage, relations had been painstakingly reinstated, making the Leaf-Sand Treaty one of the longest standing pacts between two ninja villages.

In the interior of Sunagakure, members of both Sand and Leaf were engaged in a bitter debate related to this treaty. Particularly a clause known as the Civilian Protection Act (CPA).

The wording of that international law began, "No ninja shall be caught intentionally seeking to harm (including kidnap, assault, battery, torture, rape, murder, and/or attempting to murder) a non-combatant civilian of the other village..."

The term "non-combatant" was a restrictive one, protecting only citizens who posed no threat at all to the other nation.

Another important, yet rarely mentioned, word here was "caught." Neither village argued that it happened, but it was agreed that it should not happen under the orders of the Village itself. To preserve peace, shinobi were bound by the CPA while in allied territory. If a breach were to be exposed, the perpetrators would be considered in violation of mission parameters and punished for their crime.

"I deny the charges against me," Iruka affirmed stubbornly. His skin had recovered some of its natural coloring, but he was still worse for wear after the surgery and the subsequent attempt on his life.

"I'm telling you, I _know_ Umino killed my son!" Toric argued, "I'll never forget that scar. And biological samples taken confirm it."

Iruka opened his mouth to protest that claim, but was cut off by the Kazekage. "Then you should have informed me," Gaara responded, "Rather than try to murder him in secret. And in such an unsubtle way, considering your skill with poisons." He added as an afterthought.

"All poisons can be detected with a skilled enough investigator," Toric explained to his leader, shoulders slumped, "I didn't want to implicate Sunagakure, or turn a personal matter into a political one." He sighed, "It would have been easy enough to claim that he stopped breathing due to the physical strain on his body."

The killing intent around Kakashi flared. "It'll be easy enough to sever your spine before these guards have time to blink," he countered coolly.

"Relax, Hatake-san," Iruka said soothingly. "This is a _diplomatic_ discussion."

"Well I thought it was diplomatic of me to warn him beforehand," Kakashi answered quietly, though no shinobi worth his hitai-ate would have missed his words. Still, the Copy Nin obliged by allowing the killing intent to diminish from his chakra.

Gaara, Toric, and three Sand councilors were seated on one side of the long table. On the other side sat Kakashi, Iruka, and the recently arrived Leaf representatives: Shizune, acting as Konoha's ambassador, with Genma and Ibiki serving as her escorts.

Shizune was officially speaking for Konoha, but it was Ibiki who argued most intensely to keep Iruka out of Sand custody. This would have been an impossible feat, had the Kazekage not been so inclined to cooperate. Their mutual connection to Naruto served the chunin well.

The two nations finally came to an agreement. Rather than interrogation by the Sand's T&I Department, Iruka would be tried in a joint military council of eight Leaf and Sand representatives. The trial would take place in Konoha to ensure Iruka's safety. In return for this leniency, Sand councilors would outnumber Leaf councilors three to one. With six Suna representatives for Konoha's two, the atmosphere would not be in the chunin's favor.

Decision made, the Konoha group left Sunagakure the following morning. Kakashi hoped the journey provide some answers.

Iruka was still not in top form after the surgery, and the Copy Ninja stood close to him, both to support the chunin if it was needed, and to facilitate communication.

"I don't get it, Iruka-san." Kakashi said finally. "If you knew you were in danger with Toric-san, why didn't you say something more directly? Your smiles and cryptic warnings almost got you killed. You shouldn't pull that kind of stunt with people who aren't familiar with your mannerisms."

"I didn't _know_ I was in danger," Iruka countered. "I just knew it was a possibility. If there really was a threat, I rather have the enemy believe me to be unaware of it."

"I guess you also prefer that your partner be unaware of it as well."

"You figured it out, didn't you?" Iruka retorted. "I couldn't have been that incomprehensible."

Kakashi let it go. He was getting close to provoking the chunin's temper, and he still needed to be on good terms to get answers. Instead he pursued a different line of questioning. "Why does Toric-san think you killed his kid?"

The sensei frowned uncomfortably at the question. He dug his fingers into his scar and it took several seconds before he endeavored to answer. "I…"

"Umino-san" Ibiki's rumbling voice interrupted the intended response. "I'd like to have a word with you." That tone, coming from the interrogator, was a demand rather than a request.

Iruka mumbled an apology and dropped back to comply with the man's order.

Kakashi observed them nonchalantly, but could not make out what they were saying. Ibiki had chosen a position where the wind carried their words away from the rest of the group.

Although Iruka's expression was far from happy, his body language- relaxed shoulders, head slightly tilted, arms loose at his sides- suggested that he was comfortable speaking with the Torture Specialist, which was peculiar enough in itself. Ibiki wasn't exactly the guy who put people at ease.

At one point, Iruka stepped back and shook his head at something the older ninja had said. Ibiki was unperturbed. He stepped forward and, applying pressure on certain points of the sensei's throat, rendered him unconscious.

Unceremoniously slinging the man over his shoulder, Ibiki rejoined the rest of the team. Shizune shot him a disapproving look.

Genma was more direct. Although a tokubetsu jounin, he was known to have a close affinity with Iruka and other Missions Desk Workers. "That's no way to handle an injured comrade, Ibiki-san."

"He's not fit for travel," Ibiki explained easily. "It will be faster this way."

Kakashi sighed inwardly. There went his opportunity to find answers. And though he couldn't prove it, he suspected this was Ibiki's true intention in the first place.

Frankly, he didn't know what to think. Kidnap and murder of a harmless civilian child seemed out of character for Iruka to begin with, never mind that in this instance the act would be almost equivalent to treason. The chunin denied the charges before the Sand ninja, but he had also refrained from elaborating, or even offering an alibi.

Iruka was normally very vocal about perceived blows to his honor. Why not now? Could he possibly be…guilty?

The distance between Suna and Konoha seemed longer than he remembered, but at least it went without incident. Iruka had been allowed to travel on his own the last day of the journey, but was sullen and silent the entire time. He spurned any attempt at conversation, indicating he was in a particularly foul mood, or perhaps that he'd learned Ibiki's lesson well.

When the group finally arrived at the gates of Konoha, the sensei was handed off to prison officials and Kakashi decided to set aside this mystery. It wasn't really his business anyway, and he'd be sure to hear the results when the trial was ended.

Now that they were safely back in the village, his mission was over. Umino Iruka was no longer his concern.

* * *

**I am so grateful to every person who has reviewed even once. **I can think of one reviewer who only commented twice, and yet influence my characterization of Kakashi for the entire story. Another reviewer left feedback that was so well thought out it helped brightened a particularly bad day. **I do want to especially thank my most faithful reviewers, who have reviewed every, or almost every, chapter of this story. **All that to say, you are appreciated, reviewers!

*Trivia for Fox and Raccoon Fans*

1. For Naruto OC's, I normally follow Kishimoto's example of giving the characters names with meaning, using Japanese words that aren't necessarily used as names in the real world. When creating Raccoon's real name, I found the Japanese word for "stormy seas" and split it up. So "aranami" became Raccoon's real name: Ara Nami.  
I chose this because of her turbulence in character.

2. In this story, I gave Fox his first name, Hideki, and overlooked the fact that I never gave him a family name!

Fox breaks my usual protocol by being named after Hideki Matsui, a Japanese left fielder for the New York Yankees. For those who may not know, the Yankees are one of the two New York teams in Major League Baseball. (I actually don't care much for baseball, but I enjoy the interaction my family has over it.)

But back to Hideki (the ninja). I looked up his name after the fact. The name "Hideki" carries the idea of esteem or excellence, but is literally interpreted as "excellent tree." I was glad to discover this, because it seemed fitting for an ANBU squad leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.


	12. Part II, Chapter 1

Part II

Perfect. The rising sun smiled from a stunning azure sky, its life-giving rays only occasionally obscured by the fluffy white clouds- perfect for a lazy day of cloud gazing. The temperature was such that a jacket or additional layering was unnecessary, and the breeze blew good-naturedly, just enough to ensure that one wouldn't feel too warm in a standard issue shinobi uniform. Birds sang from amidst the vibrant green leaves that shaded their village. People roused peacefully from sleep to prepare for the day ahead.

In hindsight, Kakashi would realize that such a perfect morning could only be an omen of unspeakable evil to come.

But without the benefit of hindsight, it had not crossed Kakashi's mind to barricade himself in his apartment beforesaid evil reared its ugly head. Rather, he strolled into the Mission Room, one hand stuck in his pocket and the other clutching a slightly abused mission report.

The report was hardly late, barely a handful of hours past its deadline (yet another indication that he had no reason to be out). It may have had something to do with the way Iruka's words had stubbornly lodged itself in his mind. _"The mission's not over 'till the paperwork is in."_ For some reason, Kakashi wanted to have this particular mission over and done with as soon as possible.

The Mission Room was teeming with stressed-out chunin. Their chakra crackled tensely in the atmosphere.

At the receiving desk, Kotetsu accepted Kakashi's report with a slight frown. "I don't need to check; I know it's late," he sighed, "But could you at least have the decency to write _legibly_? You've the handwriting of a diseased monkey."

The jounin grinned at the unusual analogy and reflexively pointed out, "Iruka-san can read it."

"Fat lot of good that does us now," Kotetsu replied darkly.

Oh, right. Kakashi regretted bringing up the imprisoned chunin. With a half-lidded eye he scanned the room and cast about for a change of subject. "Everyone actually looks busy. Reorganizing?"

"Nah, we're just trying to get through the work that had piled up for Iruka-san." Kotetsu ran a hand through his already wild hair. "We had some things on hold until he returned from his mission…but now we'll need to get it done regardless."

"You work him pretty hard, then." The jounin noted, as he watched two ninja argue over the proper procedure for entering data in the cross-reference base.

"The guy's a workaholic. If he likes it, why fight against it?" Kotetsu shrugged. "It's nothing we can't handle. It wouldn't be a problem at all, except that we ran out of coffee this morning. Tensions are high."

"That's a shock. No coffee in the Mission Room? It must be a snowing in Sand." Kakashi said wryly, glad for a topic that had nothing to do with the imprisoned academy sensei.

"Ah, you see, Iruka-san always ordered the coffee, and no one thought to take over." Kotetsu scratched at his bandages thoughtfully. "He did a lot of things no one really noticed. Don't know _what_ we'll do if they kill 'im or something," he added offhandedly.

"I'm sure you'll manage. It's not like the world revolves around Umino Iruka," Kakashi reminded him with a roll of an eye.

He was turning to leave when Kotetsu's voice rang out. "Hey, wait! You actually have a mission. I saw it earlier. Check the distribution desk."

"But I just got back from an S-class," Kakashi noted more to himself than anyone else. Breaks between missions seemed to get shorter and shorter.

"It's not too bad. Go check it out."

The smirk on Kotetsu's face made Kakashi wary. Approaching the distribution desk, he accepted the mission scroll from Shizune.

C-class? That was odd, considering his genin squad was no longer intact. Naruto was off training with Jiraiya. Sakura was studying medical techniques with the Hokage. And Sasuke…

He opened the scroll and examined the contents, then promptly put it back on the desk. "No. Absolutely not."

"Hatake-san!" Shizune's eyebrows quirked up in surprise, "It's not that difficult."

"No."

"But it's not as though you're _teaching_," she reasoned. "Umino-san left a detailed schedule of the rest of the year's curriculum and Shikamaru-san agreed to teach off of those notes until a more permanent solution is found. He's had experience as an assistant teacher. We just need you to assist in classroom management and…"

"I hate children."

"Oh, you do not," Shizune snorted. "Please understand, we've just lost four of our academy's master teachers at one time. Assistant teachers are trying to fill in, but they're young and inexperienced. They need help."

"Then send a different ninja," he protested. "I don't see why you'd have _me_ babysitting pre-ninja demon spawn. Aren't I a bad influence or something?" His habitual lateness and objectionable reading habits ought to be good for something.

"Bad influence?" Shizune repeated incredulously. "Hatake-san, you're one of the greatest ninja in all of Konohagakure. You're a living legend, even! The children are so demoralized now, with the deaths of three sensei and Iruka-san's incarceration. Your presence will surely encourage them and infuse them with hope and enthusiasm."

She was trying to flatter him, Kakashi realized, _an__d_ put him on a guilt trip. Demoralized children were right on par with kicked puppies. While he brooded on how she'd skillfully trapped him, Shizune sealed the deal.

"In any case, Tsunade-sama wants you to stay in the village for the duration of Umino-san's trial. Your presence will help keep the visiting Sand ninja in line." Shizune folded her arms, a bit triumphantly. "In other words, since you're stuck in the village until Umino-san is released, you may as well help in the academy."

So Tsunade was in on this. It was abundantly clear that any further resistance was futile. Kakashi groaned inwardly. "At least make it a _B-rank_ for goodness sake."


	13. P II, Chapter 2

Once again, a great big thank you to all my reviewers! I do a happy dance when I hear from you. (At least in my mind. I don't want everyone thinking I'm crazy every time I check my email.)  
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Iruka's first day working the yard with the other residents of Konoha's Maximum Security Facility was difficult. His initial days in prison were spent isolated in his cell, until medics declared him to be back in full health from his surgery.

While he had indeed recovered his health, he was not yet entirely back in physical shape, making the manual labor a little more tiring than it normally would seem. But that was not what made this particular day difficult.

His last mission before imprisonment resulted in the deaths of three squad mates, whom Iruka had worked with in the Academy for years. Their memorial service was being held today, and he could not attend.

The bitterness of being denied the chance to say a final goodbye, or to be there to comfort grieving students, left Iruka with a burning sensation in his eyes as he fought to hold back tears. This was what caused him to find a less conspicuous area of the yard to work in, where guards and prisoners would be unlikely to notice him.

Having done his share of prison guard duty over the years, Iruka was familiar with the building's layout, and even with many of the prisoners themselves, but this was certainly his first time on the wrong side of the bars.

Since the jail break in which Mizuki nearly escaped, prison procedure mandated that all prisoners wear chakra inhibitor rings around their necks. It was difficult for Iruka to orient himself to the odd physical effects of chakra restriction.

A shinobi tapped his chakra subconsciously in many ways. It was as much a part of him as the beat of his heart.

Even holding the shovel and using it to dig felt uncomfortable without the minuscule adjustment to his chakra flow that would have compensated for the extra exertion of his arm muscles. Such adjustments and control were like second nature, though in truth there was nothing natural about it. Shinobi instincts were not instinctual at all, at least not in Iruka's case, but were the result of many years of training and conditioning.

The sensei dug into the ground with his shovel, experimentally going in at different angles and speeds to accustom himself to his condition. So focused was he, that the attention of the small group of prisoners straggling around him went unnoticed until one of them spoke. "Well, if it isn't scar-nose!"

Iruka looked up, annoyed at himself for being unaware of his surroundings, but refusing to let on that he'd been surprised.

"Whataya doin' in prison blues?" another remarked with amusement. It was not every day that someone on prison-guard rotation ended up joining the ranks.

"Yeah, scar-nose, whatcha in for?" the first snickered, "Finally snapped after all those bad mission reports? Kill a jounin fresh outta his mission?"

"I haven't done anything." Iruka frowned, and recommenced his task. "I haven't even gone to trial yet. I'm sure you're aware that offering a ninja bail isn't exactly standard procedure."

He felt tense, under the scrutiny of so many prisoners, all former ninja. Fortunately, Iruka hadn't been a cruel prison guard by any means, and he could think of nothing he'd done that would cause them to antagonize him too much. Their being amused by him was a much better scenario than many of the other options.

An errant spray of dirt went flying into his face. The prisoner responsible for it had stringy black hair and narrowed charcoal-colored eyes that emphasized his sneering expression. Iruka recognized the man and, with a sinking feeling, he remembered something he'd done that would indeed cause a sore spot for a few of the men here. Capturing escaped criminals after the jail break would not endear him to the prisoner population.

"Your face got in the way of my dirt, scar-nose," the raven-haired man mocked, leaning on his shovel.

A scathingly sarcastic reply was tempting, but not the best course of action. He didn't need to goad the man into a fight.

An apology would be even worse, as the "offense" was clearly ludicrous, and a request for forgiveness concerning the position of his face was a clear surrender.

So he said nothing at all, merely continued with his work while ignoring the men around him.

Years of teaching allowed Iruka to develop a finely honed instinct for detecting objects rushing toward his head. Thus he brought the handle of his shovel up in time to block the dark-haired man's swinging tool. The sensei turned the handle of his shovel in such a way that the other's implement went spinning out of his grasp.

Having disarmed one man was not too comforting, considering the three other prisoners closing in as well, each recognizable as a man he'd collected after the jailbreak. A glance around told him that the guards were currently occupied with staged distractions obligingly provided by some of the other inmates.

At the moment he was outnumbered, without allies, and unable to access chakra. In other words, Iruka was easy prey.

But if they were going to get beat up, he'd make them work for it. And he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of his fear. "Four-on-one? I admire your bravery."

"Laugh it up now, scar-face. You won't be laughing after we've knocked all the teeth out that big mouth."

The threat wasn't entirely unfounded. Though Iruka had beaten these men before, he'd done so with the use of his Sealed Bomb Square, where the explosive tags were calibrated to stun, not kill. In their mutually chakra-less state, and since he was not yet entirely back in shape after the surgery, he'd find this confrontation to be far more difficult.

Iruka dropped to one knee and attempted a round house kick to sweep them off their feet. That brought two men falling hard to the ground, but the third prisoner caught his leg while the fourth grabbed his arms and tried to pin them behind his back.

As he wrestled to keep his arms free, the other two were back on their feet and pummeling his chest and face. Iruka's arms were finally pulled behind him. By sheer stubbornness, the sensei twisted and executed a high kick, which landed with a satisfying moist crack on the leader's jaw. The dark haired prisoner coughed, and spat out blood, accompanied by a tooth.

"All right, boys, break it up," a gruff baritone voice behind him ordered.

The prisoner in front of Iruka paled, as the menacing form of Morino Ibiki loomed over them. The others immediately released the sensei.

Iruka turned with relief. "Ibiki-sama," he greeted with an incline of his head.

Ibiki frowned. "I wouldn't be so relieved if I were you." With a firm grip on Iruka's ponytail, Ibiki pushed him ahead, "You're coming with me."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Iruka had hoped to get out of interrogation this time around. Apparently, they were only waiting for him to be fully healed so he could survive the process. Ibiki led him into the Torture and Interrogation Headquarters and Iruka followed, outwardly stoic. Inside, however, his stomach threatened to rid itself of the breakfast he'd eaten that morning.

Once they reached the door to the interrogation chamber but kept on walking right past it, Iruka's stomach settled. The only room in this direction was Ibiki's private office. The torture specialist never performed in that room. It was strictly a paperwork-only area.

Ibiki led the sensei into his office. The walls were lined with dark mahogany bookshelves. Most of the volumes on these shelves dealt with human psychology, though there were various other topics as well, including detailed encyclopedias on the other shinobi nations.

The matching mahogany desk had scrolls and documents partially concealing the surface in what appeared to be a haphazard, careless manner. The sensei knew better. Once, in his teenage years, Iruka decided to surprise his mentor by organizing the clutter on his desk. That's when he learned that nothing Ibiki did was careless, and that touching the controlled, calculated chaos on the man's desk had been a terrible mistake.

"Have a seat," Ibiki ordered.

Once Iruka sat down in the elegant but uncomfortable wooden chair, the interrogation expert took his place in the large, black leather chair behind his desk and pulled out some files. "First of all, Umino, if I see that look of relief on your face again, I'll do more than pull your hair. My presence is _not_ supposed to be reassuring. It's damaging to my reputation."

Iruka bowed his head good-naturedly. "Understood, Ibiki-sempai. Forgive me for not being more cautious of your image in front of the prisoners." For an interrogation expert, image was half the battle.

Ibiki let silence fall between them as he got some paperwork in order. Iruka, however, did not seem inclined to follow suit. "How's your brother, Idate-san, doing? Have you heard from him lately?"

It irked Ibiki that Iruka felt he could inquire into his personal life.

"No, I haven't heard from him. Not since last year." Ibiki was also irked by the fact that he often felt inclined to answer.

"That's too bad," the chunin remarked sincerely. "You should write to him, perhaps. He's in the Land of Tea, right? Communication usually works better when there's effort from both parties."

Ibiki briefly pondered that advice, and mentally filed it away for examination later. "I didn't call you here to chat, Umino. We've got to get some things straight about your upcoming trial." He pulled out a ten-year-old mission report. "I went back to research that mission and, frankly, I surprised at how badly written this report turned out to be. If you got into some kind of trouble…if you murdered some kid…you should have informed the proper authority so we could have dealt with it properly, instead of lying and turning in this sorry excuse for a mission report."

"I didn't _murder_ him, Ibiki-sempai," the chunin gripped the armrests of his chair as he spoke. "And I didn't write that report. My partner…"

"Yes, I see that," the tokubetsu jounin interrupted, taking note of who had signed the report. "But I'm sure you read it over yourself before handing it in. And you let it be turned in this way, knowing it was shoddy."

Iruka's silence was confession enough.

Ibiki studied his former student. He was intimately acquainted with the chunin's quirks and mannerisms. Everything about his body language projected guilt. Whatever had happened ten years ago, Iruka was deeply ashamed of it. "Look Iruka-kun, just relax." Ibiki said finally. "It hardly matters whether you're guilty or not. I couldn't care less."

That drew a startled look from the young man.

"Here's the situation. I've been assigned to the Sand-Leaf Council that will be judging your trial, and passing sentence if you're found guilty."

"Well, if that's so, I guess we shouldn't be discussing this case beforehand…" Iruka naively began.

The interrogation specialist barked out a laugh. "Why not?"

A blush began to rise on the sensei's face. "Ah, well, I just thought that…since you're a Councilor…you're supposed to be unbiased."

"If you're expecting a fair trial, you've got another thing coming." Ibiki scoffed. "The Sand Councilors will be seeking to convict you. You messed with the wrong man, Umino. Toric-san is very highly esteemed among those of the Sand..."

"I _didn't-_" Iruka began.

"And the people of Sunagakure will be eager to have his son's death revenged." Ibiki continued. "We'll need a rock-solid defense if you're to have a chance here."

He proceeded to pull out more files. "We're going to falsify some paperwork and make it seem as though you were never even at Sand during the time of the boy's death. We'll need to back it up with witnesses, and we'll need to work on your cover story. It's got to be flawless on all sides to make this work."

"That will never work, Ibiki-sempai." Iruka sighed. "Don't you remember, Toric-san mentioned biological evidence? If they have my DNA from ten years ago, we can't hide the fact that I was there. In fact, my blood was on the waiver that Hatake-san and I needed to sign, so they likely have already done the DNA comparison. I'm guessing that's why Toric-san tried to kill me after the surgery, but not during it. He waited until he felt sure he should strike."

"Well that's mighty decent of him," Ibiki growled sarcastically.

The jounin stood up and began pacing as he thought. "I'm not losing you to Suna, Umino. We can't afford to leave you in their hands. You know too much: all the Anbu profiles, several years' worth of highly classified mission details, intimate knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of most of our ninja, the location of our various hidden headquarters, the location of our most secret scroll archives. It would be disaster."

Iruka, who initially felt warmed by the jounin's show of support, quickly began to feel irritated at the insinuation that he'd reveal anything that would harm Konoha. "That's why I trained under you, Ibiki-sempai: so I could be trusted with this information, even when in enemy hands. It was you who taught me how to never break. You think so little of your teaching?"

"Everyone has a breaking point Umino." The torture specialist turned away from him. "If you're found guilty, you will be branded a murderer and a traitor. It would disgrace your family name and dishonor you're parent's memory. You'll lose everything that's remotely important to you, including your precious brats at the Academy. To be scorned by your own people, and willingly handed over to another nation, knowing you will never return…you'll be half broken before you ever enter Sand's borders."

He paused here, then continued. "I know you better than most, Umino. I know what you're capable of, and I have no doubt that Suna's torture specialist will be able to break you entirely, with so much of the job done for him already."

"I won't let that happen." Iruka insisted, though he was no longer sure of himself.

"No, Umino. _I_ won't let that happen." Ibiki vowed.

Iruka tried to break the tense atmosphere. "Well, it's good to know I'll have at least one strong supporter on this Sand-Leaf Council," he smiled.

Ibiki did not smile back. "You're such an optimist. Of course I want you free, kid, but I'll settle for anything that'll keep you out of Sand custody. If I can't convince them to pass a "not guilty" ruling, I'll be the strongest advocate for your immediate execution."

Both the smile and color left Iruka's face. "I-I see."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Even if it's just to say you liked it. (Or even if it's to say you didn't, as long as you tell me why!) ;)


	14. P II, Chapter 3

In one fell swoop, Kakashi's fate became invariably intertwined with Iruka's. He was trapped with bratty ninja wannabes until that man was free. He vaguely wondered what would happen if Iruka was condemned.

Surely they wouldn't leave Kakashi in the academy forever?

The copy nin shook off such frightening thoughts and turned his attention back to the little stack of essays on his coffee table, the ones Shikamaru had somehow tricked him into grading. So what if Shikamaru's stack was three times as large as his? The teen had _chosen_ this job. The reasoning behind such a decision was incomprehensible, but insanity must surely play a part.

Shizune's assessment of the children being "demoralized" by Iruka's incarceration proved to be inaccurate. Kakashi would have chosen a different term: "homicidally enraged," perhaps. And they seemed to have found a target for their frustrations in the legendary copy ninja.

Having to constantly dodge deadly and non-deadly projectiles was irritating enough, but the fact that he'd barely stepped foot inside an academy classroom before only increased the awkwardness. His father had trained him as a very young child and, at age five, when he went to take the Academy Entrance Exams, he was instead awarded with a hitai-ate and genin status.

He didn't experience academy level instruction and, for some time, the fact that he had yet to learn to read or write was overlooked. Of course, he was able to _recognize_ key symbols, like those on an explosive tag, but he didn't truly _read_ them. It was not until age six, upon becoming a chunin, that Minato-sensei realized the deficiency.

A potential team leader could not afford to be illiterate, so his sensei decided to tutor him privately. Finding time between trainings and missions proved difficult, but like everything else, Kakashi's genius mind was able to pick it up with minimal instruction. Frankly, it was amazing that he managed to master written language, with sporadic sessions as short as 15 minutes long and a teacher who had no training in teaching literacy skills.

Of course, that was not something Kakashi cared to share with other people. Thus, complaints about his penmanship were met with dismissive shrugs. Everyone's a critic.

Once it became obvious that the pile of paper was indeed not going to grade itself, Kakashi picked up the first essay in the stack. By the time he finished reading it, he felt a headache forming.

If these kids were the future of Konoha, the village would collapse in a week. Brandishing his pen, he scrawled on the top, "Thank you for wasting ten minutes of my life. I must now mourn the passing of my brain cells, as they died while I read this." He followed this comment with a bold, easily discernable "**F**"

Several essays were graded before he decided some dinner was in order if he wanted the focus necessary to continue this mundane task.

A brief scouting of his kitchen proved he had nothing left except some moldy take-out. It was time for the hated task of traversing the village markets and doing some grocery shopping…tomorrow. Tonight, he'd make his way to Ichiraku's. Ever since training Naruto, he had developed a taste for it, and found himself craving it at the oddest moments.

Sparing only a brief glance at the waiting stack of essays, Kakashi donned his green combat vest and exited from a window to travel by rooftop.

As he approached the ramen stand, Kakashi noticed a customer seated on one of the end stools. He had short blonde hair and a civilian look about him, considering the slim, but unmuscled body, slouchy posture, and general unawareness of his surroundings. He was also nearly done with his meal, so Kakashi slid into a seat on the opposite end of the stand and ordered, knowing he'd be gone by the time he needed to remove his mask for eating.

"I'll have a bowl of miso ramen."

Teuchi, the owner, grinned. "Great to see you, Kakashi-san! Business has been kind of slow lately."

"Really?" Kakashi drawled, not having to fake the boredom.

"Yes, indeed. Ever since Iruka-san's been gone, in fact."

The copy nin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "He comes here that much?"

"Well, kind of. Naruto isn't the only kid he treats to ramen, you know."

Kakashi gave him a blank stare, so the ramen stand owner elaborated. "He's brought half the orphans in the village by here at some time or another. I've made a fortune off this guy. I'll bet he spends half his paycheck right here." Teuchi shook his head sadly, "I don't know what I'll do if…"

"Wait a sec'!" The customer on the other side of the stand exclaimed as he slid closer. "Are you saying that something's happened to Iruka-sensei?"

Teuchi nodded. "I overheard some ninja saying he's been thrown in jail."

The blonde's jaw dropped. "What? But why!"

The owner shook his head. "You know they'd never tell civilians like us that kind of information. I'll bet it's all sorts of classified."

"Pah! It's got to be a set-up," the blonde remarked scornfully. "I'll bet Iruka-sensei probably angered some stuffy clan head by failing his kid or something."

Kakashi refrained from commenting. This conversation was taking an interesting turn. He wondered what Iruka-sensei could have done to inspire such loyalty in the man. Though if he insisted on slandering other ninja, the jounin would have to intervene. Thus far, all the civie had done was call the clan heads "stuffy," and that happened to be an accurate assessment.

"Poor Iruka-sensei," the blonde continued, shaking his head sadly. "No wonder he's been missing his sessions."

"Sessions?" Kakashi interrupted finally. "What are you, his therapist?"

"Not that kind of session. _Tutoring_ sessions," the civilian snapped irritably. Then his eyes widened when he realized at whom he'd snapped. It's not every day one comes face to face with a living legend. He continued, a bit more meekly, "Ah, Iruka-sensei teaches reading and writing in the civilian sector. He works with the troubled children, the ones no one else can deal with."

Kakashi took in this new information and nodded. The chunin's uncanny ability to decipher unintelligible scribble was understandable now.

"Iruka-sensei's the only person we've found who's been able to control those kids and get some education into them on top of that." The civilian sighed. "I just don't know what we'll do if…"

"All right! I get it." Kakashi snapped.

He hadn't meant to frighten the man, but the blonde gave him a startled look and quickly excused himself after slapping some money on the counter.

The jounin sighed inwardly. He should have been a bit more mindful of civilian timidity. It wasn't the man's fault that he was yet another person who insisted on reminding him how apparently irreplaceable the chunin sensei seemed.

Perhaps the world _did_ revolve around Umino Iruka, and he just hadn't noticed.

That amusing train of thought was derailed by Kurenai's sudden appearance at his side. "Kakashi-san!"

The jounin nodded in greeting.

"Perfect! We've been looking for you." She grasped his elbow and pulled him off the stool. "Come with me."

Kakashi didn't know why he was being summoned, but he allowed himself to be led away, while casting a regretful look at Ichiraku, where his order had just come up. This had better be good.

Having expected some form of emergency, due to the nature of Kurenai's approach, he couldn't help but feel surprised when she led him into a dimly lit diner. It was a popular jounin hangout, though Kakashi himself rarely ate here. "Kurenai-chan, you should have told me this was a date. I'd have worn my nicer uniform."

The kunoichi frowned and shoved him towards a corner booth where a few other jounin were seated. "Shut up and get over there."

Asuma, Raidou and Anko were the other occupants of said booth. Asuma grinned. "_Now_ we have a firsthand source," he declared.

Kurenai slipped in beside Asuma, while Kakashi plopped down indifferently next to Anko. "What's all this about?" he asked finally.

"We were discussing Iruka-sensei's upcoming trial," Anko explained. She leaned closer to Kakashi's ear and continued in a quieter, conspiratorial voice, "Trying to see how strong of a case these Sand guys have got."

"You interrupted my dinner to gossip about a chunin?" Kakashi stood up to leave.

Kurenai grabbed his wrist before he could escape. "It's not gossip. It's intelligence gathering," she corrected. "And we'll _buy_ you dinner."

Kakashi thought this over.

The food here was very good.

He wouldn't be paying for it.

And truth be told, he was curious about what information these four had gathered. Taking a seat, Kakashi ordered his meal before satisfying their curiosity. "There's not much to tell," he admitted finally. He related Toric's assassination attempt and accusations. He also told them about Iruka's denial in the diplomatic meeting, but Kakashi refrained from giving up more details. Though not officially classified, it wasn't his place to reveal any more information than the bare essentials.

The other jounin considered this new intel, obviously disappointed with how little it revealed. It didn't take long for them to dig in to their task, however.

"Ten years ago," Raidou murmured thoughtfully, "That would put Iruka-san at, what, fifteen years old?"

"Sixteen, if it was after May," Anko verified.

"Did any of you interact with him at all at that age?" Kurenai asked.

"Well, there was this one incident." Asuma began. Having everyone's full attention, he continued, "Back then, Iruka-san was just an assistant teacher. He and the master teacher, Niito-sensei, took their class for survival training in the forest and were attacked by a roving band of missing nin. One of the academy students managed to get away and alert the village. I was one of those called in to rescue them."

"And?" Kurenai breathed, "What happened?"

Asuma closed his eyes, picturing the scene in his mind, "When I got there, Niito-sensei was doing most of the fighting, while Iruka-sensei had the children gathered around him. The brats were calm in his presence, I remember. He knew just how to keep them from panicking.

"I joined the fray, but it was a good-sized group. One of the attackers went straight for the brats, and Iruka-sensei was all over him. Now the missing nin was the better fighter, hands down, and got some damaging hits on him, but the kid was hell bent on keeping his brats safe. He wouldn't back down. Iruka-sensei must have the luck of a hot-headed idiot, because he managed to kill the nin."

Asuma's face was thoughtful as he recalled the scene. "The brats were cheering like mad for their little sensei. They completely ignored my much more impressive combat prowess." He paused here to nurse his bruised ego.

"Anyway, once the fighting was over, Iruka-san went over to a nearby bush and threw up."

"Poison?" Anko queried.

"Nah, he just got nauseous because of the kill," the jounin corrected, a bit of a scoff in his tone. Having ended his tale Asuma leaned back and drew forth his conclusions. "From what I can tell, he likes kids, kids like him, and at sixteen he was puking over killing a man when he had no other choice. No way he kidnapped and murdered a nine-year-old for no apparent reason."

The others in the group nodded in agreement, except Raidou, who was frowning. "I'm not so sure."

That got the others' attention. "Why not? Out with it!" Anko prodded. Literally. She was poking her fork into the scarred nin's arm.

Raidou scowled and brushed her arm away. "I can't tell you the details, obviously, but I once rescued him from a situation where he and a partner were being tortured. He was just barely seventeen at the time."

Raidou closed his eyes, though he seemed to be blocking out some unpleasant vision rather than picturing a scene. "I found him alive, but his partner was dead. Neck snapped clumsily. Her death had been very recent, since her body was still warm when I arrived."

He hesitated as though considering how much more he should reveal. "I didn't question Iruka-san on how she died; he was obviously pretty messed up. I just brought him back, as per mission orders. I can't say for sure, but rumor has it _he_ was the one who killed her. And judging from what I saw, I think I believe it."*****

"If that was the case, Iruka-san would have been thrown in jail." Kakashi pointed out.

"Not if he pleads insanity." Anko contradicted cheerfully. "Torture can really mess with a person's mind." She waved her fork in circular motions beside her head to emphasize the point, and the others shifted uncomfortably. Torture was a subject that only Anko could discuss cheerfully.

"Didn't Iruka-san have a pretty good relationship with the traitor, Mizuki?" Kurenai interjected.

Anko nodded. She was a couple of years younger than Iruka, so she would have been in the academy for some of the same time. "They were best friends, actually. Mizuki _seemed_ decent enough, but did you know he was once investigated for killing his own partner?" Her voiced lowered dramatically, as though narrating a scary story. "There were speculations and suspicions, but nothing could be proved."

"Just like Iruka." Raidou observed.

"Yes, and just to prove how murderous he really is," Kakashi scoffed, more than a bit annoyed, "He battles his best friend and takes a giant shuriken to the back in order to defend a boy the entire village hated. And if that weren't enough, he fights him _again_ after the guy breaks out of jail."

Kakashi had been treated to Naruto's admiring and grossly exaggerated rendition of these stories numerous times. "Sounds like a psycho child killer to me." He finished with sarcastic sweetness.

"You don't think he's guilty, then?" Anko questioned.

"I don't know." Kakashi answered honestly. "But I think we should respect him enough not to sit around assassinating his character with shaky rumors."

The silver haired jounin coolly departed, leaving four abashed looking jounin in his wake. This time no one stopped him. As he exited the establishment, he came to a disappointing realization.

"That's the _second_ dinner I've walked out on tonight."

* * *

***Curious about Raidou's story? Well don't be! I've already posted it as a one-shot under the title Shattered. Check it out if you're interested. **

Next Up: More Iruka/Ibiki chit chat, and (finally!) a glimpse into what _really _happened.

Review replies to anonymous reviewers:

~**girlof06:** :) Don't worry about it! English is a difficult language to learn, and especially to write. I'm very patient when it comes to language barriers.  
If you mean what I think you meant, then yes, Kakashi will certainly suffer through his Academy mission. :) That doesn't stop most of us from enjoying his misery!

~**red*robin:** ^-^ Funny, one of my favorite types of reviews is when readers tell me a particular line that stood out or that they especially enjoyed. It helps me when I'm writing and revising future chapters. So thanks!

~**person:** I am updating quickly, but that's only because the first draft of this story was written several months ago and had been collecting dust in my closet before I pulled it out in October and decided to share it online. It's my experimental plunge into the world of FF dot net. Don't worry, any chapter that I've posted has been revised and edited at least twice before being deemed fit for public consumption. (Hm...considering that fact, it really ought to be a whole lot better than it is, shouldn't it? /sigh/ Good thing writing's just a hobby.)  
I'm glad you're enjoying my portrayl of Iruka. He is my favorite character (quite obviously), and I'd hate to think I was doing him an injustice. Though, I hope he is also believable and fits in with canon. The look I'm going for here is remarkable averageness. (like that makes any sense). Thanks for the encouragement. :)

~**pretty purple platypus:** Be careful, you might get stoned saying that around here. I hear that there's a KakaIru yaoi fangirl army on this site, led by an evil overlord. ^-^ Several members are readers of this fic. I'm not a member, though. /whispers/ I actually don't write or read yaoi myself.  
/ducks as rocks come flying by/ See what I mean? *thunk* Ow!  
lol. Anyway, there's actually no pairings in this fic at all. Just good ol' Kakashi and Iruka friendship. And I'm thrilled that you like my Ibiki. He was quite fun to write.

~**Druid_gtfx:** Don't worry about cliffhangers. I update fairly quickly. :)


	15. P II, Chapter 4

_Ibiki did not smile back. "You're such an optimist. Of course I want you free, kid, but I'll settle for anything that'll keep you out of Sand custody. If I can't convince them to pass a "not guilty" ruling, I'll be the strongest advocate for your immediate execution."_

_Both the smile and color left Iruka's face. "I-I see." _

Ibiki sighed and resumed his place in the large leather chair. "You're freedom is preferable, of course, Umino. So let's talk. How is it that an intelligence retrieval mission became an assassination?"

"That's not what happened at all." Iruka looked incensed, his face ever a mirror of his emotions any time he was not on mission mode.

Ibiki shook his head. "Just tell me tell me the truth, Umino. I already told you it makes no difference to me whether you're guilty or not. I know you were close to your mission partner, and I suspect he convinced you to do things you wouldn't have done otherwise. We know now that he was quite skilled at manipulation."

From the way the chunin's head lowered in shame, the torture specialist knew he had hit a nerve. "I didn't do anything wrong." Iruka responded defensively. But he was too well trained to lie to himself for long. "No. I…I've done many things wrong."

When he looked up at Ibiki, his brown eyes were pleading for understanding and acceptance. "But I'm not a kidnapper. Not technically, anyway. And I'm certainly not a murderer." A hand passed over his scar wearily, a resigned gesture. "I am, however, a coward, and a liar. And now it's coming back to bite me."

Ibiki paused him here, retrieving two white porcelain mugs and pouring water into them from a pitcher on his desk. He used a jutsu to heat the water and proceeded to make them both some tea, using the teabags he always kept in the top left drawer of his desk.

It was Ibiki's tea addiction that had first influenced the sensei's own inclination towards the hot beverage. The two would unwind from a grueling torture resistance session in the jounin's office, drinking tea as Ibiki painstakingly repaired whatever damage he'd cause to the young man's psyche. If Ibiki ever quit the torture department, he'd make a fairly decent therapist.

Iruka accepted his mug with a grateful smile, noticing it was his favorite blend. But he felt a stir of suspicion. "It's not drugged, is it, sempai? A truth serum perhaps?"

The larger man chuckled. "No, I already know I'll get the truth from you. I just figured if you're going to take me down a guilt trip into some long, sad sob story we may as well have refreshments." Ibiki smirked.

Iruka shook his head, reconsidering his earlier assessment of the man's aptitude as a therapist. Ibiki was not exactly the most sympathetic person in whom to confide one's painful past. The man had a nonchalant view of even the most tragic and traumatic events. But it was to be expected from a shinobi in his line of profession. Interrogators could not afford empathy. If you were too sensitive to the pain of others, you didn't make it far in the torture field.

Once they were properly settled, steaming cups of tea in hand, Iruka launched into the tale of the mission to Suna.

----------------------------------------------------- **ten years ago** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A figure crossed the arid desert land, just beyond the outskirts of Sunagakure. In all appearances, he was an elderly man, temples already adorned with grey hair and wrinkles set in his tired face. His chakra was the low thrum of a civilian's, apparently untapped and untested.

However, when the elder reached the canyon walls and proceeded to walk up them, body parallel to the ground, it was abundantly clear that his chakra was not so untested as it seemed. Finding a hidden cave entrance covered by genjutsu and generously protected with seals, he deftly made his way inside.

A teenager with silver hair came up to greet him. "How'd it go, Iruka-kun?"

The elder's muscles, skin, and bones began shifting and changing, his entire frame trembling and shifting until they formed into the body of a youth with dark hair and warm brown eyes. The newly transformed youth swayed precariously and was caught by the older teen's strong arms. "The same, Mizuki-kun. No matter what I try, I just can't get close enough to complete our objective."

Iruka leaned on his comrade's shoulder for support, exhaustion seeping into his bones. "Having to change my disguises daily is making this difficult for me."

"Here, have a soldier pill," Mizuki offered, and cut off the protest, "I know you want to save them for emergencies, but your chakra reserves are very limited, Iruka-kun, and I won't have you draining them. I know how that Master Henge affects you."

Iruka offered the older boy a half-hearted smile, and accepted the pill.

Mizuki continued, "Anyway, I have the solution to both those problems."

Iruka's smile broadened to a real one. "Really? I knew I could count on you, Mizu-kun! What is it?"

"Let me show you." Mizuki smiled triumphantly and led him to another part of the cave.

It took a while for Iruka's eyes to adjust to the gloom, but when he finally saw what Mizuki was referring to, his heart sank. "Is that…Adachi Kento?" Iruka breathed softly, referring to the young child of their target, Adachi Toric, famed medic of Suna.

"Yup." Mizuki confirmed rather proudly.

"Are you _crazy_ Mizuki?" Iruka whispered angrily, hands fisting on the edges of his partner's collar. "What were you thinking? We can't kidnap a child!"

A flicker of annoyance crossed the older teen's face. "What's the matter with you? Can't you see this is the perfect opportunity? If you're disguised as the kid, you'd have no problem getting close to the dad, and our objective."

Their real target was not Toric himself, but rather, Toric's files. Konoha needed access to the man's medical research to save the lives of the villagers, both ninja and civilian, who had fallen ill under a mysterious new virus.

Although Sand was an ally, they refused to divulge the research. It wouldn't do for Konoha to make breakthrough discoveries before them, so they jealously guarded their superior medical knowledge.

Now Iruka and Mizuki were here to steal it.

With Sand being an ally, they had to tread circumspectly.

Iruka had been selected as the main agent for the job due to a rather helpful jutsu he knew that allowed him to instantaneously copy the contents of a scroll into a blank one. That technique allowed him to create instant copies of a document in the Mission Office, earning him the fond nickname of "the _other_ copy ninja". On the surface, it was considered almost as a parlor trick, nothing more than just another one of those paperwork ninja techniques.

Look deeper, and that technique also allowed Iruka to steal the information from a scroll, without having to take the actual scroll itself. If nothing is missing, no one would ever know the difference. Iruka was also fond of carrying around a storage scroll, normally used for weaponry, as a means to summon other scrolls of a variety of sizes, most of which are blank and ready to be filled with copied and/or stolen information.

Toric's research files were stored in the Kazekage Tower, and this mission was proving to be very difficult. Now Mizuki, who was supposed to be his support, had instead complicated the matter further by breaking international law.

"Nobody has to know." Mizuki breathed, as though reading the other's thoughts.

Iruka could hear the child holding back sobs as he feebly attempted not to cry. The chunin slipped a mask on over his face before approaching, not wanting the child to be able to identify him later. He spoke gently, "Don't be afraid, otoutosan. I'll be taking you back to the village in just a moment."

"Like hell you are!" Mizuki growled, slipping up his own mask before rushing forward to grab his partner's arm. "You do that and we fail our mission." Mizuki's dark eyes bore into his friend and partner's. "And where do you get off, calling him 'little brother?' He's no brother of ours. Do you really think he's going to keep quiet? If you return him, he'll alert the village to our presence. It will all be over."

Iruka hesitated, realizing the implications.

Mizuki composed himself, and added gently, "We'll take him back in a couple of days. That should be enough time to secure our objective, right? After that, we can return him, and it won't matter what he tells them. We'll both be long gone before they can even get a search party together."

Mizuki saw the other's resolve weaken, so he pressed his advantage. "Besides, we're not going to _hurt_ him. We're not holding him for ransom. This barely qualifies as kidnapping. We're just…borrowing him."

"All right." Iruka relented finally. He looked up at his friend. "How long do you suppose I have before they miss him?"

"He's supposed to be in school, but was playing hooky with his friends." Mizuki informed him. "He won't be expected home until the civilian school day is done."

That gave Iruka roughly five hours to figure out how to become a convincing copy of the boy. Mizuki grinned. "I know you can do it. I'll leave you alone to get to know the kid."

-------------------------------------------------------------------**present**--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ibiki stopped him here in his narrative. "I see what you mean by not technically kidnapping," the torture specialist muttered. "You weren't involved in the planning of it, you weren't involved in the decision to execute the kidnapping, and you didn't perform the act yourself." Ibiki nodded his approval. "You only kept the act a secret once you learned of it. And keeping secrets is no crime in the shinobi world."

"Still, I should have…done something else." Iruka interjected. Though even now he wasn't sure what that something else could have been. To return the child after the kidnap was to fail the mission. To fail the mission was to lose the lives of all the sick villagers.

Ibiki didn't have time to concern himself with attacks of conscience. "But, you can't prove that you weren't involved in the kidnapping without a confession from the traitor."

"Mizuki-kun is mad." Iruka reminded him quietly, pain evident in his voice. "He's been moved to the Konoha's Asylum not too long ago. The testimony of an insane person is of no value, even in the doubtful event that he'd actually help me."

"Let me hear the rest of the story." Ibiki prodded.

Iruka continued where he left off, and once he was done, the jounin was in a pensive state. "Umino, you aren't making this easy on me."

The chunin frowned, a blush creeping along his scar. "I'm sorry. I never meant to endanger Konoha. I did not imagine this would ever be brought up again."

The two discussed the subject at length, but for every ploy and plan Ibiki cooked up, Iruka found a weakness in it that would send the whole scheme crashing around them. Finally the sensei sighed and voiced something that had been on the back of his mind, but hadn't yet worked up the nerve to bring up. "Why can't I just tell them the truth?"

"The _truth_?" Ibiki repeated dubiously, as though he couldn't possibly have heard it right.

"Yes. The truth." Iruka asserted. "Toric-san deserves to know what really happened to his son. And…I'm willing to face whatever comes of this."

"You realize this is suicide." Ibiki stated flatly. "You'll be signing your own death notice."

"Perhaps." Iruka acknowledged quietly. "But I'll be no worse off than if I tried to lie and it backfired. It's better this way, sempai. At least with the truth, my conscience will be clear. And, who knows? If I can convince them to believe me, I might go free yet."

Ibiki grunted derisively and massaged his temple with a gloved hand. "You really are a hopeless optimist, Umino."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next Chapter: A little bit of laughter for Iruka (poor guy, he needs it), another glimpse into the past mission and young!Iruka in sensei-mode.

Btw, the "ten years ago" sequences in this fic are not exactly the person's memories, since they won't always remain in one person's pov and will occasionally include things that the person could not have been aware of.

Review Replies to Anonymous Reviewers

~Auphora66: Obviously, you're not exactly anonymous, but this is quicker than tracking down your profile and sending a PM, and I wanted to get this chapter up fast. ^-^ Glad you enjoyed the last line. Kakashi's a great guy. He respects Iruka's privacy, but still mourns his missed opportunities for dinner like anyone else would.

~heather butanvage: That particular line is a personal favorite of mine, as it demonstrates Kakashi's respect for Iruka and his keen sense of honor. Even with the civilian at the ramen stand earlier, you can see Kakashi despises slander. Though it is not expressly stated, I had in the back of my mind all the malicious things Kakashi must have heard people saying about his father before and after the man committed suicide. He knows better than most the ugly effects people's words can have.

~red*robin: Lol. I was actually making the final touches on this chapter when I heard the "da-dun" that means I got an email, which was your review. As for Kakashi, ChibiAliChan gave him a cyber cookie. And I'm sure he had a ration bar around somewhere... ^-^ I'm so glad you like my gossipy!jounins and mysterious!Iruka. As you can see, the mystery is starting to clear up, but it will still be a while before the whole story comes out.


	16. P II, Chapter 5

Iruka sat with his legs folded on the lumpy, worn cot. His back leaned against the cold stone wall and his lap was covered in paperwork.

After the discussion with Ibiki, the tokubetsu jonin arranged for Iruka to be transferred to the minimum security detention center within the Torture and Interrogation Department. This spared the chunin from having to encounter other prisoners and get into any further brawls. The black eye he was currently sporting had finally started to turn a bit yellow, meaning it would fade soon.

While Ibiki could be downright uncaring and cruel at times, Iruka dared to consider the jonin a friend. It was actions like these that allowed the sensei to dare imagine that Ibiki considered him one as well.

As for the paperwork, Shizune had managed to convince Tsunade that there was no harm in letting Iruka continue working while they waited for the group from Sand to arrive so that the trial could commence.

The sensei was grateful that Shizune knew he went stir-crazy when he had nothing to do, and that she had been considerate enough to arrange for some of his Missions Desk work to be brought to him.

Currently, he was engaged with the encrypted documents that had been set aside for him after he left for that fateful mission to deliver a C-rank scroll to Stone, but ended up on an S-rank mission to Sand.

Finishing with one document, he picked up the next paper in his stack. A frowned creased his features when he couldn't immediately discern the mode of encryption. Iruka stared at the crumpled sheet a few moments mentally going through the various encryption systems in his mind and eliminating them when it was clear they did not match.

"What in the..." Suddenly his eyes widened in recongnition and the young sensei burst out laughing. For the first time in far too long, the tears stinging his eyes were ones of mirth.

"This isn't _encrypted_!" he chuckled to himself. "It's Kakashi's mission report."

Iruka took a moment to compose himself before going over the crumpled and slightly stained report. The copy nin had barely documented anything beyond the barest of facts.

The sensei sighed. It was not as though he didn't understand why shinobi hated filling out the paperwork. Who _wanted_ to be forced to relive everything that's happened on a difficult mission? But the fact of the matter is that the better informed the village was, the better they could protect its citizens, and yes, even its ninja. Who knew what seemingly insignificant detail would be enough to save a life in the future? The job of the Missions Desk Workers was daunting. They were routinely sending ninja out to their possible deaths, and they didn't want to be doing it while under-informed.

This mission report was particularly ill-written, even for the copy nin, who in all probability had never expected the form to actually be accepted.

Kakashi was always too concise, and often just a bit sarcastic, but he usually refrained from drawing stick figure diagrams in the margins of what he could only guess to be action sequences from his Icha Icha novels. Iruka supposed he could be grateful at least that they weren't romance sequences.

When the sensei read over the report, the reason behind Kakashi's apparent disregard for mission report protocol became clearer. This mission had been particularly bloody, even for shinobi work. Sharingan Kakashi was one of Konoha's most effective and deadly assassins. He had never yet failed to kill an intended target. Still, to write a report on such deeds was never an agreeable task.

Iruka noted that details on his targets (for there had been multiple) were scarcely to be found. The "target" for assassination is viewed impersonally as an object. However, a target seems more human the more in-depth you describe him and his life. And the more human a target becomes, the more like murder the mission appears.

A sure sign of danger was when a ninja can consider himself a murderer, and be comfortable with that notion. Iruka was glad for the fact that Kakashi had not reached that point, despite the nature of his missions.

The fine line that separates a ninja from a criminal can difficult to discern at times. Often, the difference lay in something as intangible as authority and motive. Why were you doing what you did? Who gave you the right to do so?

The difference was a delicate subject to touch on, but it was one Iruka always found to be incredibly important, even at a young age. He found himself discussing and philosophizing on that very subject with many people. He'd even done so once with Kento, the Sand medic's son.

----------------------------------------------------------**ten years ago**------------------------------------------------------------------

_"He's supposed to be in school, but was playing hooky with his friends." Mizuki informed him. "He won't be expected home until the civilian school day is done."_

_That gave Iruka roughly five hours to figure out how to become a convincing copy of the boy. Mizuki grinned. "I know you can do it. I'll leave you alone to get to know the kid."_

Iruka turned his eyes to the child and gave him a friendly smile. Though his lips were not visible, the smile would communicate well enough in his eyes. Meanwhile, those same eyes were mentally categorizing every detail of the boy's face, from the way his blonde bangs brushed his eyebrows, to the way his nostrils flared when he was stressed, and the way his bottom lip was slightly chapped from the dry, hot atmosphere.

"I'm sorry about what my partner did," he began, sitting cross-legged in front of the boy who was currently tied up to a pole. Iruka's movements lacked the refined grace of Mizuki's, but he was currently an awkward teenager with legs growing too quickly for him to feel anything but gangly in his own body.

"I didn't mean for it to be this way," he continued honestly. Iruka thought of his own students back in Konoha. He was missing them already. "Are you hurt at all?" the young sensei queried, both out of genuine concern and the need to hear the child's voice in order to mimic it later.

"What do you want?" The boy asked shakily, trying hard to be brave.

"That's a tough question." Iruka noted with a half-smile. "I want to make sure you'll be safe. I want to get my mission done soon. And…I want a large bowl of pork ramen."

Kento smiled slightly, in spite of himself. "Me too."

"You like ramen?" The chunin asked conversationally, storing that information away. "What other foods do you like?"

"Well, I like stir fry and rice, but I _really_ don't like…" the boy stopped short, glaring at him suspiciously. "Wait. Is this an interrogation?"

"Of course not."

"But I'm tied up. And you're asking me questions. Seems like an interrogation to me." Kento concluded resolutely.

Iruka withdrew a kunai. The child flinched, but the shinobi merely cut the ropes binding him to the pole. "There's no real need for you to be tied up, I suppose," the teen shrugged. "No offense, but you're not a danger to us."

The boy had been offended. Iruka memorized the angry glare for future reference. Then the kid's stomach rumbled.

"Hungry?" Iruka opened his pack. "I picked up some food in the village. Care for some rice?"

The kid continued to glare. Iruka shrugged and turned his face away to pull down the mask. He took a few bites to prove it wasn't poison. Kento's stomach growled again and Iruka slipped his mask back up to hold out the container of food.

Begrudgingly, the child accepted the rice and began to eat. Iruka analyzed the way he ate, mind whirring with hundreds of little details.

When Kento was satisfied, he put the container down and gazed at Iruka intensely. "You're an enemy shinobi, right?"

"Well…technically I am, I guess." Iruka consented. "That doesn't mean I'm going to hurt you."

The look in the boy's eyes was pained. "You're going to hurt my father, aren't you?"

Iruka's eyebrows went up. "I…uh…I might. If I have to." For some reason, the sensei was feeling lower than scum. "Don't look at me that way. I'm a ninja, like your father. I'll do my duty, and your father will do his." Iruka reasoned. "Besides, if the mission goes well, he won't even know I was there, let alone sustain injuries."

"Then…you're on a stealth mission to steal something." Kento accused.

"Something like that," Iruka agreed pleasantly. There was no danger in confirming that suspicion. It was the conclusion any ninja would have reached once the boy returned home and revealed his brief capture. And the fact that he admitted it to Kento may even cause them to doubt the validity of the confession. "You're a bright kid. Probably an excellent student. You'll understand that I can't just divulge the details of my mission."

"Yeah, 'cause then you'd get caught, you thief." He scowled.

Iruka's eyebrows raised again. "I'm not a thief, I'm a _ninja,_" he corrected patiently, sounding a lot like the teacher he was. "Ninjas steal and ninjas kill, but are neither thieves nor murderers."

Kento looked puzzled at this paradox, and Iruka elaborated. "If a ninja is a thief, then why doesn't he just break into his neighbor's home and take whatever he wants from it? And if a murderer, what prevents him from engaging in a rampant killing spree?

"Why would a ninja be punished for enriching himself by robbing civilians? Why punish a shinobi who kills an ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage? All of this presupposes a difference between thievery, murder, and the role of a ninja." Iruka looked down at his hands, "Is a ninja a monster, a tool, or a person? And if a person, can he be a good one?"

The boy stared at him, dumbfounded by the line of questioning.

"Sorry." Iruka grinned sheepishly and rubbed his neck. "I know it's a lot to think about. But I think you're smart enough to understand this. And this is the kind of thing you'll _need_ to understand if you want to relate better to your father as you get older."

Kento began loosening up to him, surprised that an enemy was taking an interest in him as a person.

From then, the two chatted comfortably, staying on topics that the boy thought was safe, while allowing Iruka to get to know his personality enough to mimic later.

---------------------------------------------------------------**present**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Approaching footsteps interrupted his thoughts, a welcome diversion. The chunin set the paperwork aside as he leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the visitor. Of anyone he may have expected to come by for a visit, Hatake Kakashi was not one of them.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Iruka looked strangely out of context in the short sleeved, light blue prison uniform.

His leaf hitai-ate was still on, Kakashi noted, but he cringed inwardly at the sight of the chakra inhibiting collar, knowing by experience how disoriented such a device could make one feel. The fact that Iruka was sporting a black eye made him curious, but considering that he was being kept in the Torture and Interrogation Department's detention center, that may have been Ibiki's doing.

"Kakashi-san, I didn't expect to see you here." Iruka's expression reflected the surprise in his tone.

"Really?" the copy nin leaned casually against the bars of the cell. The minimum security detention center had no separate visiting area, as it was rare for citizens of Konoha to occupy these quarters. All he had needed to do was check in and disarm himself, before being waved on through. "And who _were_ you expecting?"

Iruka considered the question, stretching his legs out and swinging them over the side of the cot to better face his visitor. "Perhaps Shikamaru-kun, asking about a lesson, or needing advice on how to discipline. Or else Izumo, to pick up the paperwork he dropped off... and maybe to ask about where I order the mission room coffee filters. If no one's gotten to that, they'll be running out any day now."

"They're still giving you paperwork?" Kakashi frowned. Jail was bad enough. Jail with paperwork was just cruel.

"Just a little. I don't mind; it gives me something to do." Iruka grinned. "Besides, no one else can read your handwriting."

Kakashi's eye trailed over to the cot, where he caught sight of the report he'd turned in that had been mistaken for an encrypted document. Sensing that Iruka was about to tell him to redo it, he quickly changed the subject. "Hm, it seems odd that everyone who visits you wants something. I thought you had tons of friends, Iruka-sensei."

A slight smile accompanied his reply. "Most of my friends aren't allowed in here. You need to be at least sixteen to enter this facility."

Kakashi almost laughed, but settled for an amused look, since the sensei might actually not be kidding. "You have many defenders among the youth. They ask for you constantly, and are just outraged at the vicious lies circulating about their sensei."

"How would you know?" Iruka shook his head, but felt pleased nonetheless.

"Well, since I have to help teach the little parasites…"

"You WHAT?" Iruka gasped, very nearly falling off his cot in shock and dismay. "But, you're completely unsuited for the job!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." The jounin answered wryly.

Iruka reddened. "I'm sorry. What a thing to say." He rubbed the back of his neck as he fumbled for a recovery. "I only meant that…well, I didn't think you'd enjoy…"

"I hate it." Kakashi agreed cheerfully. "I'm rooting for your quick release, Iruka-sensei. Tsunade-sama has decreed that I remain in the Academy until you're free."

Iruka would have asked what would happen if he wasn't freed, but he didn't feel inclined to talk about that possibility. Instead he inquired after his students.

The two shinobi chatted comfortably about the Academy , Kakashi relating his tales of woe, while Iruka alternated between listening sympathetically or criticizing his methods. ("_No, Kakashi-san, leaving her tied up and hanging upside from the academy window was NOT an appropriate form of discipline. Hyuuga Hiashi will rip your throat out when he learns you did that to Hanabi._")

Kakashi, for his part, was mainly unrepentant. ("_At least it convinced her to quit orchestrating assassination attempts on her teachers_.")

Iruka chuckled, and he realized it was the second time today that the copy nin had caused him to laugh (albeit, the first time was done inadvertently with the "encrypted" mission report). "I'm glad you came, Kakashi-san. It's good to be able to just…talk."

The copy nin deflected the gratitude. It made him uncomfortable. "Not many people visit?"

"Considering my location, civilians and youths can't. That leaves only the older nin. You know most ninja are emotionally inept, and have horrible social skills," Iruka half-joked. "It doesn't mean they don't care, just that they'd rather not get too attached in case they lose the person. Right now, my future's up in the air. It's only natural to create distance."

Kakashi understood that. After losing his father, sensei, Obito, and Rin, he thought he'd stopped letting himself care for others.

After years of emotional isolation, the jounin had inadvertantly let Team 7 get too close, without realizing it. The pain of Sasuke's betrayal, which now lay carefully buried in indifference, alerted him to that problem. And just in time, because now Naruto was gone, off to train with the Toad Sage. Even Sakura was too busy for him, training with the Hokage. His time as their teacher was over for now.

Not that it mattered, anyway. It was good for him to realize what was happening before he got himself too deep in relationships that would only end in pain.

"Oi, Kakashi-san," Iruka smiled. "It's strange to see you so lost in thought. What's on your mind?"

"Just thinking about Naruto-kun," Kakashi half-lied. "I was wondering if he knows about what's going on here."

"He does not." Iruka replied immediately. "And I'd prefer it remain that way. He needs to focus on his training, not spend his time worrying about me."

"Worry?" the copy nin remarked. "Naruto-kun wouldn't waste his energy worrying. He'd be dragging Jiraiya-sama back to Konoha and giving the Hokage and all these Sand ninja a piece of his mind. And just see if they'd be able to stop him from visiting you, whatever the age limit is to enter this facility."

Iruka chuckled fondly. "All the more reason for him not to know. He's not the most level-headed friend, and I wouldn't want him to get in trouble on my account."

Silence reigned between the two. Not a comfortable silence shared between companions, but the awkward silence that occurs when each party has run out of things to say and is trying to figure out what to do next.

"So, Kakashi-san," Iruka recovered first. The sensei looked as though he was trying to be careful with his wording. "I suppose you came by to rant about the terrors known as pre-genin to someone who'd know you're not exaggerating. Or is it because you count me a friend?" The chunin had been sure that his relationship with Kakashi had ended the moment they entered Konoha's gates. They were no longer mission partners, so he was uncertain why the older man had bothered to visit him.

The simple question shook the jounin. Why had he come? Not used to feeling vulnerable, he automatically put his defenses up. "The first guess was right, Iruka-sensei." He tilted his head disinterestedly, "Anyone who I'd consider a friend is already dead." _And I don't need any more to join them_, he added mentally.

"Really?" the chunin asked delicately, sensing that he was pushing the limits on what the copy nin would be comfortable talking about, yet concerned by the troubling statement. "If that's the case, then who do you fight for? What keeps you going?"

Kakashi reflected on his daily visits to the Memorial. He stared at the teacher as though the answer was obvious. "I haven't stopped fighting for them just because they're dead."

"I see." Iruka nodded. And in a way, he did. He reflected on his own parents, the Sadaime, Hayate, and many others. He understood what the jounin meant about fighting for the dead. You fight for their dreams, their legacies, the things for which they died. Sometimes you fought to prove yourself to them, not knowing if they're even capable of caring anymore. Sometimes you fight to atone for your mistakes, the times you've let them down.

Still, it must be a lonely existence, caring only for the dead.

"I'd better go." Kakashi said finally, as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Iruka called out, standing up quickly.

The copy nin raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Can you spare another ten minutes?" Iruka queried.

Kakashi considered this. All he had to look forward to was another stack of ungraded homework. He was curious as to what the sensei wanted. "Sure."

"Good." Iruka smiled warmly. "Do you happen to have a blank scroll on you?"

The jonin reached into his vest and found one easily. At the sensei's indication, he passed it through the bars. "Ah, Iruka-sensei, you know I can't deliver messages for you unless they're pre-approved by someone in authority."

"I know." Iruka shrugged. "Have a seat, Kakashi-san."

With a bemused expression, the copy nin took a seat on the floor just beyond the prison bars, as Iruka followed suit on the other side, blank scroll and pen in hand.

"What are you up to?" Kakashi asked finally.

"Since you admit to having a bit of free time at the moment," Iruka began, smiling innocently "We can work on rewriting that anemic form you call a mission report. I'll even write it out for you, since I don't have more pressing business at the moment."

Kakashi groaned inwardly. He should have seen this coming and escaped when he had the chance. He really needed to learn to ignore his curiosity.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I was going to be a tease, and leave Kakashi's visit for next chapter, but Kakashi was quite insistant that he shouldn't have to wait a whole other chapter for his next appearance.

**Next chapter**: A Sand ninja's perspective. Toric's first appearance in Part II.

Response to anonymous reviewers:

~zeynel: Thanks! I'm glad you liked this. And yeah, I guess there aren't too many choices when it comes to antagonists at that particular time, unless I went with an OC. But I'm actually rather fond of Mizuki in my own twisted sort of way. If he hadn't been conniving, manipulative and evil, I would have never had a chance to see Iruka's compassionate (towards Naruto), tough (did you see all those kunai he took in the manga, and yet still kept fighting?), clever (anticipating Mizuki's move and henging into Naruto)and noble side. So I'm "thanking" him by letting him be the villian that messed up everything and is inadvertantly causing Iruka so much grief. =) Aren't I sweet?


	17. P II, Chapter 6

I apologize for my atrocious spelling and grammar mistakes last chapter. I believe I've got that fixed now. You guys know that if you see me doing something stupid, you _can_ tell me, right? I will love you all the more for _constructive_ criticism!

And on an unrelated note, the "encrypted" mission report from last chapter is actually the same report that Kakashi turned in in the prologue of Part I. (The one that he had to retrieve from "deranged squirrels.") If a more experienced chunin had seen the report, they would have identified it right away as Kakashi-scratch.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Sand delegates for the trial council were finally selected, and the group was scheduled to depart for Konoha in two hours.

Toric had been packed and ready to go for a long time. Like most shinobi, he travelled light and packed quickly. The medic had also talked to all his patients so that they'd be aware of his absence beforehand, and left detailed instruction for their care to those who would be filling in for him. Portions of his research in the medical labs were temporarily suspended, while others were delegated to competent shinobi.

His father, at age seventy, was a retired ninja. And while he would have loved to go see his grandson's murderer face trial, an old leg injury prevented his travels. Instead, he offered his son Toric a blessing for the journey along with the fervent wish that revenge would be extracted for the boy's death.

There was only one last thing to do before he took his leave.

Toric prepared a censor of incense, and visited the plot of memorial ground that belonged to his family. Here were the grave markers of the Adachi clan. There were very few actual bodies buried in this land, as the majority of his family were ninja whose corpses were completely obliterated as a matter of course.

Stopping briefly to pay his respects to his mother, Toric moved on until he reached one of the few occupied graves. Kneeling beside it, he allowed his fingers to brush over the name engraved on the marker: Adachi Kento. Then, lighting the censor, he burned incense and offered his prayers at his son's grave.

He needed only to turn around and he was now facing the empty grave marker of his wife. Toric offered prayers there too, all the while wishing he had trusted her instincts, all that time ago.

----------------------------------------------------------------**ten years ago**-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm telling you, there's something not right." Adachi Nana whispered to her husband when their nine year old son was in the bathroom, preparing for bed.

Toric placed his hands on her tense shoulders and massaged gently, "It's the after-mission jitters, love. You've been getting a little paranoid every time you arrive home from a difficult assignment."

Nana pushed his hands away, scowling. "I'm _not_ paranoid."

The medic chuckled nervously. "You're right, 'paranoid' is too strong of a word. But you are stressed. How about you go to bed early? I'll join you once Kento is tucked in."

"I can't sleep until I figure out just what's the matter with my son." Nana argued stubbornly. "What if someone's cast a jutsu on him?"

"Within the borders of our own village?" Toric challenged gently. "Don't be ridiculous, Nana. If he's not himself, it's probably due to some issue at school with his friends. We'll have a father-son chat tonight when I put him to bed."

"Let me put him to bed," the kunoichi requested. Toric raised an eyebrow, and she elaborated. "I just need to know that he's safe, that's all. You're right, my missions have been making me more jumpy and I tend to overreact occasionally. Perhaps it's almost time for me to step down from the Black Ops…"

While glad that she had voiced what he'd already been thinking, the medic disliked the defeated tone his wife's voice had taken on. Nana had been so enthused to join the ranks of the Suna elite, and now the prospect of needing to resign was disappointing. Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her before commenting. "I certainly won't complain about you being home more often." His blue eyes glinted mischievously.

Of course, Kento chose that exact moment to come out of the bathroom, banging the door open with his usual energy and effectively killing the romantic moment. "Ready for bed, dad!" He announced, lifting up his arms as though to draw attention to his pajama clad body. "We get to start a new book today, right?"

Toric glanced at his wife, who never cared much for reading bedtime stories. She couldn't get into them, and just wasn't motivated enough to create different voices for the various characters. "We'll start that new book tomorrow, son. Since mom's home early from her mission, she's going to put you to bed."

"All right." Kento agreed happily, though his voice lost a touch of its exuberance.

Bedtime was traditionally their father-son time, as the medic was very busy during the day. In fact, if the mom was gone on missions, Kento generally spent afternoons at the hospital or Kazekage Tower doing homework or otherwise occupying himself until his dad was free for dinner. Toric and Kento went home and ate dinner together, then the medic was gone to do his evening rounds at the hospital and Kento played with his toys or with friends until it was almost bedtime.

It was only fair, Toric reasoned, to give up his nightly ritual with his son for tonight, considering Nana often spent weeks on end far away from home. Still, he felt nervous at the expression his wife wore when she took their son to his room. It was cold, calculating, and analytical.

To be safe, he lingered in the kitchen, which happened to be close to the doorway of the boy's bedroom. He had just decided to make some tea when a loud thud, followed by a crash, sounded from the room.

Toric raced in quickly, and he nearly froze at the scene before him. The bedside table and lamp were overturned onto the floor, and his wife stood over their son, threatening him with a kunai.

His shinobi instincts kicked in, and he flicked a senbon toward Nana. It pierced her wrist in such a way that there was no more than a pinprick of blood, yet her entire hand became slack and unresponsive. The kunai clattered to the ground and she gazed at him in horror.

"That is _not_ my son!" She shouted wildly, "He's an imposter! An enemy!"

Kento whimpered and stumbled toward his father, wide eyed and shaking. Toric stood in front of him protectively.

"Nana, please calm down." He'd been warned about the delusions Black Operatives sometimes experienced. "It's the mission stress, sweetheart. Don't do anything you'll regret later."

With a gentle nudge, Toric indicated that the boy should leave the room while he tried to deal with his wife. Kento scrambled quickly to the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Nana growled and leaped forward, ready to intercept the boy's escape. The medic was prepared and, with a flick of a senbon toward her spinal column, rendered her immobile from the waist down.

He caught her before she fell entirely, but his soothing words were drowned out by her angry curses.

She shoved him hard with her still functioning hand, sending him staggering backwards into the door. "You _fool_! Go and catch him before he escapes!" Her voice was bordering on hysterics.

"But…" His words were interrupted by a barrage of shuriken.

"GO!"

"O-okay! I'll be right back. Just…" The kunai flying past his face and into the wooden door frame convinced him to leave immediately.

The medic's blue eyes scanned the hallway. "Kento? Are you all right?"

No response was forthcoming, and he began to look for the boy, pushing out to sense his son's untrained chakra signature and following it to a window. Toric froze. Every time Nana came home, she set up elaborate traps on every entryway and window.

The trap on this window was disengaged. There was no possible way Kento could have done that, and certainly not in the brief moment he'd been in the room with his wife.

There was no time for shock or regret. He slipped out the window and gave chase. The imposter had not gotten far. Toric sent several senbon in his direction, knowing he had to immobilize and capture him alive in order to question him.

The enemy dodged the senbon and attempted to escape when suddenly three Suna ninja appeared in clouds of chakra smoke. It was clear that they had sensed something amiss, but even now were unsure as to what was going on.

"Capture that imposter." Toric ordered. The false Kento's eyes went wide and he immediately created three clones. All four blonde-haired boys scattered and the Suna nin split up to give chase.

A tall, red-haired Suna ninja pursued one of the Kento look-alike into a tumbled down, mostly empty part of the village. Then the tall shinobi stopped, allowing his prey to move on unimpeded. The Sand ninja changed directions, heading toward the village perimeter. Border guards had not yet been alerted to the intruder's presence, and thus security had not yet been heightened.

The redhead slipped out of the village, unnoticed by the patrols and skillfully bypassing the alarms. Once amidst the cover of the craggy canyon walls, he breathed a sigh of relief and released the basic henge. Instead of the tall Suna shinobi stood the small form of the blonde nine-year-old Kento.

While escaping, Iruka had sensed two Sand ninja were about to teleport into the area. He created a clone of himself, still in Kento's form, and henged his true self into the red-haired shinobi he had seen around the village. The arrival of the others had distracted Toric from noticing the creation of the first clone, while the chakra smoke that accompanied his henge would appear to be the smoke of a teleportation.

Iruka smiled to himself. Minimal chakra use, barely any combat, no lives lost: often, the best escapes were the simplest.

But he was not safe yet. He glimpsed down at his short stubby legs, not exactly ideal for running. And now that his disguise was useless, his own form would be the best to use in case he met with any further problems.

Bones popping, muscles rippling, the small boy's form shifted slowly and painfully into his normal, lanky teenaged body. A few quick stretches to loosen up, and he disappeared into the shadows.

-----------------------------------------------**present**---------------------------------------------------

Toric brushed his hand against the engraved kanji on his wife's grave marker, recalling their terrible argument, just before she left on her quest to find their son's murderer.

What little evidence and clues they had pointed to the perpetrator being from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Against the Kazekage's orders, and defying all logical arguments that this was a hopeless endeavor, she left.

Nana blamed Toric for their son's death. If he hadn't stopped her that night, the imposter would have never made it out of their home, let alone out of the village. When she departed, it was with heated words, angry glares, and a vow to return with the killer's head, or never return at all.

Seven months later she was confirmed dead, having gotten into a skirmish with the infamously ruthless Mist ninja.

Anger, guilt, and unadulterated rage coursed through the medic's veins as his fingers clawed into the ground by his knees, hands clenched tightly over the sandy soil to keep them from shaking.

"I swear to you," he promised his family quietly, "I won't let him escape again."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next Chapter: Expect a brief reappearance of Hideki, the Fox Anbu.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your reviews. I am overwhelmed by the response (I didn't actually expect to even hit the 100 mark). Many of you have inadvertantly given me ideas and insights into how to make this story better, and I almost feel like this was a team endeavour.

I will be updating quite rapidly from now on, since I must have this story complete by Dec. 20.  
Well, I don't _have_ to, but if I didn't, then I'd be unable to update until January, and I'd rather not extend it that long. ^_^;


	18. P II, Chapter 7

Tsunade stared at the Fox Anbu, anticipating his answer.

She didn't wish to push him into a decision, so she waited patiently with fingers interlaced, knowing he'd speak when ready.

It had been a very long day. This whole business with Umino was proving to be a real headache. A matter like this could potentially dissolve into a breach between the two nations. However, if she played her cards right, it could instead be a way to fortify their relations.

If Konoha put forth every reasonable effort to cooperate with Sand in the investigation and conviction of a possible criminal, trust would be built and good will demonstrated. Whatever Ibiki's arguments, the good of the entire village of Konoha outweighed the welfare of any one of its shinobi.

Gaara, the Kazekage, had not been able to come in person to meet with her, instead sending an ambassador with the rest of the Suna visitors and commiting himself to being here for the conclusion of the trial. After that matter was settled, the two Kages would reassess their alliance and hopefully make it stronger than it had been before.

The first step in ensuring good results was made in the meeting that welcomed their guests to the village. Both nations officially agreed that a crime allegedly committed ten years ago would have no bearing on the status of the two nations as allies in the present. Instead, the trial was to be treated as a civil case between two individuals, Adachi Toric and Umino Iruka, with the authorities of both nations collaborating to oversee this unusual procedure.

In order to present a case against Umino, the Suna medic would need access to Iruka's personal files. Obviously, this was impossible as all foreign ninja had a security clearance level of absolute zero.

As an alternative, Sand agreed to pay the Missions Department for a Konoha ninja with high security clearance and a neutral attitude towards Iruka to serve as the prosecutor.

It was far more difficult than Tsunade anticipated, finding a willing ninja to accept this very well paying and high profile mission. Iruka-sensei was surprisingly popular. And she found that even people who never interacted with him beyond handing over a report were still disinclined to turn against one of their own.

The Hokage did not want to force anyone into the position, but she could not deny the perfectly reasonable request.

To compound the problem, Iruka, having heavily engaged in espionage and vital intelligence, had _two_ personal files. His real one required Hokage-level clearance to access. The other one was also real, but an abridged version that left out enough information to protect his painfully average image. It was this file that would be used in the trial, since the Hokage was _not_ going to be the one trying to implicate the well-liked sensei. That would be political suicide.

"Well, Fox?" Tsunade prompted finally.

"Why are you requesting me?" the Anbu asked noncommittally. There was nothing in his posture or tone to hint at what his thoughts were at the moment.

"I'm asking you because you are competent," the Godaime began, "I can trust you to be wise with the contents of Iruka-sensei's file. And I am asking you because I need someone who can be neutral towards him, who can put aside all emotions and rationally seek evidence that would implicate him in the crimes of which he's accused."

"Is he guilty?"

"Honestly, that's not for the prosecutor to worry about," Tsunade answered, "However if you truly want my opinion...it's _possible _that he's guilty, but only if the story he told Ibiki is false. That chunin would have to be one hell of a liar to pull one over on our interrogation expert."

Fox was silent.

"I will not force you to take this assignment, though I must confess that I'm not sure at this point who else I can ask." Tsunade sighed and leaned forward. Her amber eyes bore into his. "Tell me, Fox. Can you put forth real and honest effort into seeking Umino-san's conviction, even if it may ultimately result in his death?"

Fox considered this. If his Hokage had asked him this question a few weeks ago, he would have answered affirmatively without hesitation. In his Anbu persona, the removal of emotions that could conflict with his mission happened as a matter of course. Only in his private life, as Hideki, could he indulge in sentimentality.

The idea of turning against Iruka somehow did not sit well with him. Perhaps he felt that he owed the chunin his life, because of that stunt he pulled with impersonating the Kazekage. Maybe it was that Fox had secretly begun to respect him for his resiliency in spirit during a mission that was way over his head. It could have something to do with all that philosophy he spouted about the Will of Fire, strongly reminding him of their deceased Sandaime Hokage.

Whatever the reason, Fox found himself answering, "No, Hokage-sama. I cannot."

This was obviously not the answer she wanted. Fox hated to see his leader disappointed, so he continued. "Perhaps, Hokage-sama, you can find a suitable person among the former members of Root?"

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Upon Fox's recommendation, Tsunade searched among the older Root operatives for one with a relatively high security clearance. An impassive, red haired kunoichi was chosen, and she accepted the mission without scrupple. The codename Kanaria ¹ was assigned to her for the duration of the mission.

She wasted no time in beginning her investigation.

Iruka's file was thick for a no-name chunin, Kanaria thought as she flipped to the first page and her brown eyes scanned his general stats.

Graduated from the academy at age eleven. 288 D-rank and 183 C-rank missions, must have been a genin for a lengthy time. Yes, promoted at age sixteen.

There were 90 B-ranks, not anything of note, considering how long he'd been a ninja. However, the 12 A-ranks certainly got her attention. Chunin were rarely sent on any A-rank missions at all. He also had an S-rank from which he had just returned, but that had been an accident, not a purposely assigned mission. Still, the fact that he'd survived it was interesting.

Judging from his evaluation, the sensei's skills seemed to be more or less at an average level. He was basically balanced, not particularly strong in any one form of jutsu, whether ninjutsu, genjustsu, or taijutsu. It did not slip her notice, though, that someone had rated him very highly in cunning. That was the only thing above average about him.²

The deeper Kanaria searched into the file, the more interesting its contents became. This was going to be quite a trial.

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Iruka chose to forego any representation. He could decide on his own how much information to reveal without hurting Konoha if he did all the talking himself. Having another person to explain everything to before going through the trial and explaining it again did not seem at all appealing. His decision to go with the truth made things far less complicated, so there was no reason he couldn't handle his own defense.

The possibility always remained for Iruka to come up with cleverly crafted lies (for one lie invariably led to another) and, if he was very careful, get away with them. After all, given enough time, he and Ibiki would figure out _something_.

But Toric did deserve to know what really happened, and Iruka didn't know if he could bear going through life with a web of deceit surrounding and threatening to entangle him.

He didn't mind lying on missions-that was, in fact, a crucial element to most of his missions-but the chunin didn't really consider himself a liar. Ninja activities notwithstanding, Iruka liked to believe that he was a good person.

Lying, stealing, and killing were tools; along with his kunai, shuriken, and exploding tags; that he used to protect his village and his precious people. If Iruka began misusing these tools, he would lose himself.

Of course, mishaps occur, no matter how careful one tries to be with their tools.

-----------------------------------------------------------------**ten years ago**------------------------------------------------------------------

"Did you get it?" A masked Mizuki asked urgently as a winded teenager made his way into the cave.

"Yes." Iruka choked out, between panted breaths, "But I got caught."

"You _what_? Someone saw you copy the files?"

"No. I safely got the information, but before I could find a reasonable opportunity to return, Kento's mom got back from her mission. She saw through my disguise."

Iruka forced his breathing back to normal, then pulled the mask back over his features. "They don't know what I was after, and I don't think I was followed."

"Good. That gives us time to escape." Mizuki quickly got his pack together.

"We have to return the boy first," Iruka reminded.

"Why?" The silver haired teen raised an eyebrow. "They'll find him eventually if we leave him here."

"We can't know that for sure. And if a predator, like a sand panther, finds him first..." Iruka's voice trailed off as it was unnecessary to elaborate further. "I'll go drop him off outside the village perimeter where they'll be sure to spot him. Then I'll catch up with you."

"No. You're already tired. You'll get caught." Mizuki reasoned gently. "Let me do it. You go on ahead and I'll meet you later."

Iruka nodded, relieved that his partner was doing the right thing.

Mizuki, meanwhile, was relieved to find the perfect opportunity to kill the boy without his partner's interference. Iruka just didn't understand. They could not afford to leave a loose end.

Iruka gathered his things and checked to make sure no evidence was left behind. He frowned when he noticed Kento had been tied up to a stalagmite again. "Was that really necessary?" he chided, quickly undoing the bonds.

"It's not like I could watch him every second…"

A rumble interrupted the silver haired ninja's argument. Apparently, someone had found their hideout and was trying to force their way through the seals.

"That was fast!" Iruka commented, bewildered.

"They must have trailed you." Mizuki said wryly. "Quick, let's go out the other…'

The whole cave quaked. Mizuki's seals were strong and their pursuers had to use a lot of force.

Stalactites crashed down around them. Mizuki dodged and noted that one large piece of jagged rock was bearing down on Kento. Perfect.

Iruka threw himself at the boy, gathering him up and rolling out of harm's way. The young sensei-in-training leapt to his feet, still clutching the child. "Run!" he yelled at Mizuki, as he raced to the cave's other exit.

"Put the kid down." His partner insisted running beside him. "The Sand nin will take him."

"Of course, just not here," Iruka acknowledged. "He'll get crushed by falling rock." Another threatening rumble seemed to accentuate his point.

"That's _their_ problem," Mizuki grumbled, but not loud enough for the other to hear. Iruka was stubborn when it came to things like this.

They were barely out of the cave when a group of Sand ninja ambushed them. The exit had taken them to the other side of the rocky canyon, and they were several hundred feet in the air.

Mizuki grabbed the boy from his partner's arms and flung him downward, forcing some of the Sand nin to rush down and rescue him. A shove reminded Iruka that he was supposed to be running, not watching the kid's descent with anxiety. The Sand ninja were competent and would not let Kento get hurt.

Their escape was barred. Iruka noted that one of the attackers was Toric himself, looking rather enraged. He was thankful for the masks that prevented the Sand ninja from seeing their faces.

_"You're going to hurt my father, aren't you?"_ Kento had asked him that first day.

_"I'll do my duty, and your father will do his."_

Forced into a fight, Iruka and Mizuki slid comfortably into attack formation. They had been best friends since their academy days and could anticipate each other's moves so well it was almost as if they could read each other's mind.

Still, they were outnumbered, and the Sand shinobi forced them down the steep incline. The teens were hard pressed to escape. Mizuki's eyes flashed menacingly as adrenaline flooded his system, and his moves became increasingly ferocious.

A wall of sand threatened to crush Iruka. He attempted to jump away, but his feet were trapped in even more sand. The chunin braced himself for the impact. However, a roaring wall of water crashed into the sand wall, causing the collapse of both. He shot his partner a grateful look before performing hand seals and shooting a highly pressurized current of water from his hands to the ninja who had trapped him.

He was free, but he had to be careful. Even the ground beneath his feet was his enemy. Iruka knew many D and C rank Mist jutsu using the water element. He'd learned it from scrolls that had once belonged to his father, who was himself a Mist ninja refugee.³

Mizuki was also comfortable with water style jutsus, though his were Konoha techniques. The two of them often used their water based styles to give the impression that they were Mist ninja. This effectively deflected any suspicion of Konoha's involvement should they be confronted on a mission.

Kirigakure was a hostile nation, so it was okay to frame them.

Although Mizuki had hoped to divert some of the ninjas using Kento, the Sand shinobi merely put him down safely on the ground, told him to hide, and returned to the fight.

Kento took cover in a rocky niche, watching the battle in amazement. His father was out there, directly in front of his hiding spot, and he'd never seen him look so angry. The nice enemy with the ponytail and the mean enemy with the silver hair were attacking his dad and the friends his dad had brought.

Kento felt proud, but also a little sad, when his father slashed the neck of the nice enemy, severing the jugular vein. He always knew his dad was the best ninja there was. Except for mom, maybe.

But the slim body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and a cactus materialized in its place. His father blinked in surprise at the replacement jutsu. The nice enemy ninja appeared behind him and threw four kunai.

But father wasn't facing the right way. He'd get hit.

Kento scrambled out of his spot to call out a warning. This turned out to be unnecessary, as before a sound could escape his throat, the medical ninja was already dodging. The boy breathed a sigh of relief.

And suddenly couldn't breathe at all.

One of Iruka's kunai, having sailed past Kento's father, was now buried to the hilt in the boy's chest. It pierced his heart and flooded his lungs with blood.

"KENTO!" The father screamed his name, but he could barely hear it.

Iruka's wide disbelieving eyes briefly met the child's sky blue ones before they closed forever. The chunin froze in place, bile rising in his throat.

"Come on. Now's our chance." Mizuki pulled him away and Iruka ran faster than he ever had before.

________________________________________________________________________

dun-dun-DUN!

¹Kanaria is apparently the Japanese word for "canary," which is a small yellow bird. This alludes to an old phrase: "sing like a canary." If a person decides to "spill the beans", "rat someone out", or "squeal to the cops", it was said that he was going to "sing like a canary." Funnily enough, I can't seem to think of an expression to describe that action that doesn't involve an idiom.  
I'm a sign language interpreter-in-training and idioms like these drive me nuts 'cuz they're so hard to translate!

² Except for the S-rank, all the information in this section is apparently canon. I got it from the biography section of leafninja . com (without the spaces)

³That is whole other story for another time. Yes, I know. It's very common in fanfiction to give Iruka a foreign heritage, and I have my own version. But, really, with a name that means "sea dolphin" and the fact that he's darker complected than most Konoha residents, how could I resist? ;) Maybe one day I'll post that story.


	19. P II, Chapter 8

The beginning of this chapter finishes off the Sand mission sequence.

^_^;; I have tried so hard to figure out how to weave this section into the trial scenes, but I could not figure it out. The trial scenes need to portray very specific povs in a certain order, and the past scene needs to switch back and forth to povs that will show the whole story. Also the past scene needs Mizuki's pov to make it complete, but Mizuki's not even in the trial; he's in an insane asylum. Anyway, enough rambling. Hope you enjoy.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------**ten years ago**--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iruka and Mizuki had outpaced the Sand ninja and it seemed their escape was imminent. They made it to a woody area, well outside Suna territory, where it became possible to travel by jumping through the trees.

They were not in Fire Country yet, but in one of the many minor countries that shared a border with the Land of Wind. Nor could they afford to take a direct path to Konoha as the enemy could still be tracking them. Instead their course was such that the destination remained ambiguous.

The adrenaline was finally draining from Iruka's system and he felt extremely shaky. A misstep caused him to slip down to the ground. He landed on his feet, uninjured, but immediately dove into some nearby shrubbery, pulled down his mask, and proceeded to violently hurl.

Mizuki rolled his eyes and leaned against a tree trunk. They couldn't exactly flee while leaving behind a trail of vomit. The older teen decided to make use of his time and set up some traps until his partner was done emptying the contents of his stomach.

Honestly, how was Iruka ever going to make it as a ninja?

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Adachi Toric and three other Sand ninja stalked closer to their prey. He spotted the one who killed his son. The ponytailed youth was kneeling on the ground, apparently recovering from a bought of nausea.

This was the perfect opportunity. The medic pulled out a senbon, knowing exactly how to throw it for a fatality. But before he got a chance to release the needle, the youth wiped his mouth with the back of one hand while pulling the mask up with the other.

Though he could not discern most of the face, Toric did not miss the long aberrant scar that began on one cheekbone, went straight across the nose, and ended at the other.

That was a scar the medic would never forget.

Toric threw the senbon, but somehow the enemy became alert to their presence and dodged. "Enemies!" he called out, presumably warning his silver haired partner.

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The Sand nin had unfortunately (for them) ambushed the Konoha duo in an area full of Mizuki's traps. And now the Leaf ninja were among the trees, in their element. They had the upper hand.

However, at some point in the battle, Mizuki became disturbingly brutal. Even when the Suna ninja were maimed by traps and too injured to pursue them, the older teen would not back down. He ignored Iruka's pleas to leave them and escape.

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Toric could no longer stand. The dark haired enemy had managed to slice the tendons in both his ankles.

He tried to drag himself away far enough to heal himself, but the light haired enemy intervened by ramming a kunai into his foot, pinning it to the ground. He could not escape.

A strangled gasp of pain escaped his lips before a foot came crashing into his into his face. Delicate facial bones fractured.

Through the haze of pain, he could see the foot pulled back, preparing for another vicious kick.

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"Mizuki! Stop." Iruka threw his arms around his comrade's waist from behind and pulled him backward, away from Toric.

"Let go of me, Iruka!" His friend clawed at the restraining arms, leaving streaks of red, but Iruka only clasped him tighter.

"It's enough." Iruka said, a pleading tone in his voice. "It's enough. Let's go home."

Mizuki blinked and glanced over his shoulder. He had lost it right in front of Iruka. Now his friend was worried about him.

"Okay. Let's go home." Mizuki agreed.

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Toric watched them disappear into the canopy of trees, knowing he had let them escape. The bitterness of it was worse than the pain of his wounds.

"Iruka" and "Mizuki"…"Dolphin" and "Water"?

_Must be code names_, he thought acrimoniously.*

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The two Konoha ninja travelled side by side in silence for awhile.

Finally, Mizuki cleared his throat. "Iruka-kun, let me write the mission report for this one, okay?"

"Why? You hate paperwork." Iruka asked cautiously.

"It's just…I don't want you to get in trouble…for killing the kid, you know?"

The younger teen paled, but shook his head. "We _have_ to report that."

"Why?" Mizuki challenged.

"_Why_?..." Iruka repeated disbelievingly.

"It was an accident. It was Sand's fault, not yours. They weren't protecting him well enough, and you were only defending yourself."

"Yes, but still- to lie on a mission report…"

"I never said I was going to _lie_." Mizuki declared indignantly. "Everything I write will be the truth. I'm only going to leave out the insignificant details. We have the medical research, the lives of the villagers will be saved, and that's all that really matters anyway."

"Mizu-kun, what about your…unusual behavior in battle?" Iruka ventured.

"I just lost myself for a moment. That's all." Mizuki defended. "I can't be perfect. Lots of ninja experience the same thing."

"Yes, I know, but it's still a warning sign that shouldn't be ignored."

Mizuki looked mournful, but was seething on the inside. Iruka thought he knew everything. "I just…they almost got you in that battle. And, thinking about you…dying, I dunno, it…I just lost it."

His comrade's hand was immediately on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, Mizuki. We're both okay."

The older teen knew exactly how to get Iruka to sing to his tune. "I guess I'd better report my little slip-up back there. I hope the punishment won't be too bad."

Iruka shifted uncomfortably, feeling guilty. What _did_ they do to ninja who lost control of their actions while on a mission? "Well, maybe you don't _have_ to write that up. I know you only wanted to protect me. But, Mizuki-kun, promise me- _promise me_- that you'll see a psychologist, or the Hokage, or someone who can work this out with you. I don't want you cracking up on me."

"I promise to make sure it doesn't happen again," _in front of you_, Mizuki added silently. Of course, his naïve friend took the statement as an agreement to his proposition.

What was wrong with Iruka, anyway? Their mission had been a success, and all he could think about was pointless notions of morality. "So are we agreed? Am I writing the mission report?"

Iruka hesitated and wouldn't meet his eyes. Just when Mizuki thought he would refuse, the younger teen nodded slowly. "Okay. You can write it."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------**present**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kakashi stretched lazily in bed, then rolled over and further buried his head in his pillows. It was supposedly time to wake up, but he didn't want to face the mini-demons yet. Or ever. What could happen if he decided to just take the day off?

The mental image of Shikamaru, tied helplessly to the teacher's desk while a snotty nosed army bore down on him armed with superglue, paint, and sharp pointy weapons, caused Kakashi to half heartedly slink out of bed.

He would never abandon a comrade to such a fate. And Tsunade would kill him if they lost another teacher.

After a brief visit to the memorial, he immediately set off for the Academy.

When Kakashi entered the room, every child sat up a little straighter in their seat. There were no assassination attempts that day. So they _had_ learned from the whole hanging-Hanabi-out-the-window incident. And since he didn't have a raging Hyuuga Hiashi breathing down his neck, it seemed that she'd been too embarrassed to tell her father. Yes, Kakashi truly was a genius.

Shikamaru finished giving a lecture to the unusually subdued group of children and asked if there were any questions. Konohamaru raised his hand and Shikamaru acknowledged him.

"Is Iruka-sensei's trial today?"

The teen blinked. "Ah…yeah. It's today."

"Are you going to go Shikamaru-sensei?" another child queried.

"No. It's not open to the public."

"Why not?" a drippy-nosed boy asked.

Shikamaru sighed. "Probably Tsunade-sama wants to keep the case as low-profile as possible to avoid disruption in village life. This is a touchy issue. If anyone could go, people would talk of nothing else and rumors would escalate."

"How long is this trial thingy going to take?" one petulant girl demanded.

"I really can't say," the young chunin drawled. "Now are there any questions…"

Several hands were raised.

"…about the _lesson_." Shikamaru finished.

All hands went down.

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After the eternity known as an academy day, Kakashi teleported in front of the Hokage Tower. Seals prevented anyone from actually teleporting _inside_ the Hokage tower, for obvious security reasons.

In keeping with fate's general inability to let him stay out of Iruka's affairs, Kakashi had been asked to attend the sensei's trial. Somehow, it didn't even surprise the copy ninja that, despite the hearing being closed to the public, the Hokage had asked him specifically to be present on security detail, as a reminder to Sand that they needed to behave. While he was at it, he may as well thwart the efforts of gossip hungry jounin, like Anko and Kurenai, who'd likely try to spy on the proceedings.

Prison guards escorted Iruka into the room. He was still dressed in a light blue prison uniform with the chakra inhibiting collar. This time, he also had a set of cuffs on his wrists.

The trial was not yet ready to begin, so Kakashi walked smoothly over to the prisoner. "Yo, Iruka-sensei," he greeted pleasantly.

"Ah, Hatake-san is on security detail. I guess I won't be able to escape, after all." His voice was light as he joked, but the smile was strained. He was not looking forward to what lay ahead.

"I have something for you." The jounin reached into his vest, causing Iruka's guards to get jumpy, until he pulled out a large and slightly wrinkled paper folded down the middle. "Here."

"What is it?" Iruka puzzled. The words on the outside fold read "Get Out Soon." It was scrawled in crayon.

"It's a 'Get Out Soon' card." Kakashi replied matter-of-factly. "The little abominations you call students decided to spend their recess making it."

The sensei's eyes softened and he opened the card. It was elaborately decorated, and each student had at least signed the inside. Quite a few of them also included a message. Iruka read through them.

_"We no your innosent sensay!"_

_"We miss you."_

_"Even tho you're mean, I hope you come back cause Kakashi-sensai is meaner."_

_"I wus gonna help you but mom says I dont hav athoritee to declar war on Sand. Sorree."_

With great care, Iruka smoothed out the wrinkles on the handmade card and placed it in his pocket. "Thank you for bringing it."

"It's not much." Kakashi shrugged.

"They voluntarily gave up their recess to make this. I've never received a present as valuable." Iruka contradicted.

Any further comment was cut off as the six Suna councilors and the two Konoha councilors took their place. Tsunade presided as the moderator. "It's time for the trial to begin," She announced.

Tsunade, the Sand ambassador, and the Sand-Leaf Council were behind a long table at the head of the room. Iruka noted that the Leaf Councilors were Morino Ibiki, and Homura Mitokado, an elder ninja who normally presided as part of the Hokage's council. Before them on the left sat Kanaria and Toric, and to the right Iruka and his guards. The prosecutor was asked to open.

Kanaria stood, pulling a copy of an old mission report from a folder on her table and taking her place before the Council. "Ten years ago, Umino Iruka was on a mission that took him to Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand Village. He went with only one partner, Touji Mizuki, traitor of Konohagakure and Umino-san's closest friend."

"Objection." Iruka interrupted calmly, "Mizuki-san is not my closest friend. In betraying Konoha, he betrayed me as well."

She conceded the point with a nod. "Fine. Traitor of Konoha and Umino-san's former friend." It was not imperative to her case to connect Mizuki's betrayal to Iruka. That possibility had already been heavily investigated and deemed untenable.

Kanaria glanced at the copy of the report in her hand. Sections of it, including the mission objective, had been blotted out for security reasons. "The report itself is vague at best." She continued explaining.

"It mentions Umino-san impersonating 9-year-old Adachi Kento. It mentions that in the escape, four Sand ninja were killed as well as one civilian who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Collateral damage." Kanaria fixed sharp, accusing eyes on Iruka's warm brown ones. "It does not mention that Kento-kun himself was the one killed. In fact, little information can be gleaned from this report. Details are scant. And it makes one wonder, just what are you hiding?"

Kakashi, by this time, had already analyzed exactly how many ninja were present (including the Anbu shadow guards hidden in the rafters), where they were from, nine different attack formations that could be used in this closed space, and which items in the room could be used as weapons.

Kakashi took further notice of every door and window, including the hidden passages covered by genjustsu. He knew which points in the walls were the thinnest and easiest to break through. And currently his clone, stationed outside, was running off Anko, who had been disguising herself as a branch in the tree outside the northeast window in order to spy on the trial.

Kakashi also anticipated several different scenarios in which assassination attempts could be made on the Hokage, on the Konoha councilors, on Iruka, and on himself; as well as how to prevent any attempt from being successful.

The entire analysis had been completed through his bored, half lidded gaze.

While security was his main concern, Kakashi couldn't help but listen closely to the proceedings.

Adachi Toric was the next to speak. He related his account of the events surrounding the death of his son, from his wife's realization that the boy living with them was an imposter to the battle that ensued when they trailed him back to their hideout and the Mizuki attempted to dash the boy against the rocks.

Toric described how at one point, Iruka threw a kunai to kill his son. "The throw was precise: a puncture wound to the chest, piercing the heart, severing the aorta and pulmonary arteries. Death was nearly instantaneous." Toric reported this in the tone of one turning in a medical report.

"The enemy escaped, but we were again able to track them. I saw my son's murderer unmasked briefly, and while I did not get a clear view of his face, I could distinctly see his hypertrophic scar." The medic traced horizontally across his face indicating the location.

The Sand shinobi proceeded to relate the details of the next battle; how that even after they were no longer capable of fighting due to the disabling traps, the Konoha shinobi would not relent. Four Suna ninja were killed and the injured Toric was brutalized until they were satisfied ("It's enough," Iruka had said) and decided to leave.

Kakashi attempted to listen with an unbiased mind, but found it very difficult to reconcile that type of sick behavior with the Iruka who had just returned with him from a mission.

His curiosity grew as to how Iruka would respond to these charges, as it was now the chunin's turn to speak.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

/Sigh/ This is the driest chapter in this story; it's hard to make court exciting.  
But bear with me and I promise not to bore you! ^-^ And don't worry; I'm all done with explanations of things I've already shown you in past sequences. No need to go over them again. What would be the point in that?

Next Up: Iruka's defense, Kanaria's attack (not a physical one, this is a courtroom people), and sneak peeks of Iruka's prankster past! (And yes, Kakashi _does_ have a significant role in all this. Patience.)

Please review, and if you like, add to the comments on Iruka's "Get Out Soon" card!  
It could be from a student's pov, or your own. I'm sure he'll appreciate the support from his fans. Plus, I'm curious to see what you guys will come up with. Only if you feel up to it, of course.

* In this fic, I have the name "Mizuki" meaning water. The "Mizukage" is the Water Shadow, after all. So I'm taking "Mizu" to mean water and "-ki" as the common name ending (similar to "-maru" ie. Orochimaru, Shikamaru, Akamaru).  
However, the name "Mizuki" can also mean "beautiful moon" and is supposed to be a girl's name, as far as I understand. ("Mi" meaning "beautiful" and "zuki" meaning "moon")  
Of course, finding the meaning behind a Japanese name is far more complex than I could fully understand. Apparently the same name will have different meanings depending on the kanji used to write it.


	20. P II, Chapter 9

Kakashi intently listened to Iruka's rendition of the events, scrutinizing everything: his words, tone, facial expressions, and body language. He wanted to gauge the truthfulness of his story. The copy nin was not naïve, though. He surmised from their time together on the earlier mission that Iruka probably specialized in spying and intelligence gathering. One did not engage in undercover work without being an exceptional liar.

Still, his story was very plausible, Kakashi thought even probable. The people of Konoha knew how twisted Mizuki had been. While it was possible that Iruka was the same way, the jounin's instincts told him otherwise.

He remembered when Mizuki escaped from jail. Kakashi had loaned the sensei his nindog, Pakkun, for the purpose of tracking the traitor.

After the mission, Pakkun related the mission details to Kakashi, and mentioned that he'd gotten along reasonably well with the sensei.

"I like him," the nindog had decided, nodding his head sagely. "He respects me, unlike _some_ people I know. And he smells good."

Kakashi thought back to his brief encounter with Iruka at the Hokage's office to figure out what Pakkun meant. "Smells good?" he repeated disbelievingly. "He smells like chalk and parchment. With just a hint of tea leaves. You don't even like tea."

"No. Well, yeah. But no." Pakkun corrected. "Your nose will never be as attuned as mine, Boss. I meant he smells loyal…and honest."

Though the copynin failed to understand how character traits could be discerned through scent, he trusted Pakkun's judgement for the most part. An honest spy…only Iruka could pull that off.

Once both sides had been told, it seemed rather inconclusive. Toric said it was murder; Iruka claimed it was an accident. It was one respected ninja's word against another. With three-fourths of the trial council being Sand ninja, it wasn't too hard to figure out where sympathies lay.

Kanaria considered Iruka with predatorial eyes. Her mission was to prove the sensei guilty. And she'd never failed a mission.

"So, Umino-san, you are apparently pleading guilty to kidnapping. Is that correct?" The red haired kunoichi crossed her arms and tilted her head as she waited for the answer.

Iruka weighed his words carefully. "The kidnapping took place without my knowledge, consent, or participation. So no, I do not plead guilty. I do admit to assisting in keeping the abduction a secret after the fact. If the boy was returned immediately, our presence would be revealed and the mission over. If we waited just a couple of days and then returned him…" Iruka trailed off. "I did what I thought was best in the situation in which I found myself. Kento was never supposed to get hurt, let alone…"

"So you're willing to kidnap a child to secure your mission success," Kanaria interrupted, "And you expect us to believe that you would just let him go afterwards? Leave a loose end?"

Iruka felt frustrated by the way she kept putting words in his mouth, but losing his temper would be counterproductive. "Of course I'd let him go. We were careful not to let him know too much. He never knew our names, never saw our faces, and never discovered our origin. What would it jeopardize?"

"Ah," She had him now. Smugly she commented, "But if it _did_ jeopardize your mission, you would kill him?"

"That's not what I meant." Iruka said evenly, as though he were correcting a particularly dense child. "I was merely pointing out that there was no motive. Either way, I wouldn't kill an innocent."

"Is that so?" Kanaria placed a hand on her hip, and turned her back to him, facing the councilors. "Then would you care to let the Sand-Leaf Council know what happened sixteen months after this incident?"

Iruka looked thoughtful, then raised an eyebrow when he realized her intent. "That has _nothing_ to do with this case."

Ignoring this, she elaborated, "I'm sure you remember. You and another partner, Kyasha-san, left on a mission together…"

"There's no point in…" Iruka protested.

"But things went wrong, didn't they, Umino-san?"

"I object." Iruka addressed the Hokage. "She's discussing a completely different mission that occurred over a year after this one."

"But it's necessary to show the credibility of Umino-san's testimony." Kanaria countered.

"Objection overruled," the Hokage sighed regretfully. "Continue, Kanaria."

"Thank you. " She inclined her head respectfully before focusing an impassive gaze on her prey. "You and Kyasha-san were captured and tortured. And then you killed her. You broke her neck with your own hands, only seconds before rescuers arrived."

"I…" the chunin had been caught off guard. He had mentally prepared himself to be grilled on the mission details and the extent of his relationship with Mizuki. This attack was entirely unanticipated.

"You killed Kyasha, didn't you?" Kanaria demanded, putting her face only inches away from his. "Didn't you! She became a liability, a weakness. So you finished her." A smug smile graced her features are her next words were demanding and crisp. "Do you deny it?"

He couldn't let her rattle him. "No," he breathed quietly.

"Then you're a murderer. A comrade-killer."

"No!" His hands clenched involuntarily and words tumbled out before he could order them in his head. "That's not…She _begged_ me to…I didn't know…"

Somehow, he couldn't focus enough to articulate complete sentences. The subject shouldn't be so sensitive, shouldn't feel so raw, after all these years.

From the Sand-Leaf Council, Ibiki shot him a look that screamed "_Get your act together, boy._" That look was exactly what Iruka had needed. He forced the panic down and released a calming breath.

"The Third Hokage already addressed that incident with me, Kanaria-san, as did the Head of the Interrogation Department. It does not need to be discussed again. There were never any charges. They obviously did not consider me a criminal. Can't you trust our Sandaime Hokage's judgment?"

"Fine. We don't need to press further," the copper haired kunoichi conceded in feigned benevolence. In fact, Kanaria had no desire to pursue the matter, and had been counting on Iruka's disinclination to do so as well. Divulging the full details of that incident would weaken the image she was trying to project of the chunin being a cold hearted killer.

"My point is, if you are capable of killing your own comrade, you are capable of murdering your enemy's son."

"Toric-san is not my enemy." Iruka contradicted unfalteringly.

"Perhaps not as an individual, but I dare say you consider Sand citizens in general as enemies."

"Sand citizens?" The chunin repeated with a shake of his head. "I have nothing against Suna."

"Well, that's interesting." Kanaria commented casually. "Because when I look through your genin files, it seems to indicate a hostility towards the Sand."

Iruka's brows knit in genuine confusion. "What are you _talking_ about?"

Kanaria ignored him, and instead turned to address the council. "Umino-san was a troubled child, causing problems since his academy days."

She then waved up a pile of paperwork two inches thick. "This stack is a compilation of formal complaints filed against Umino-san during his time on a genin team. Allow me to read some of them to you."

The council nodded, waiting. Kanaria picked up her first marked sheet. "On a _diplomatic_ mission to Sunagakure, Iruka told his jounin sensei, in front of a Suna politician, 'This would go a whole lot faster if we just killed the morons!'"

She picked up the next sheet. "When assigned a mission to escort a Sand civilian back to his home village, Iruka exclaimed, 'But that country sucks! I hate it! Only idiots live in a desert,' before detonating a smoke bomb and attempting to run away. The smoke triggered the client's asthma, sending him to the hospital."

The Suna Councilors were currently simmering in discontent, highly insulted. But Kanaria was not finished.

The next report was read. "He hung another Sand client upside down in a tree because he reportedly 'did not like him.'"

"I was a prankster back then." Iruka attempted to explain. "I was just…trying to be funny."

"You think discriminating against other countries is _funny_?"

"No-"

"But you _said_ you were trying to be funny."

"I was just a kid. I was seeking attention."

Kanaria pulled out another page. "Attention? It seems to me that you just had a thirst for deviant behavior. You were even arrested once before."

"That was just for petty vandalism…"

"Repeated vandalism," the kunoichi corrected. "And you were unrepentant. When asked if you had learned your lesson, you are quoted as saying "Yeah. I learned that flirting with that pretty Uchiha girl won't convince her to help me bust out. Especially when it turns out she's not a girl after all."

Iruka cringed, "Well, how was I to know? Itachi-san was even wearing nail polish."

Kakashi, thanks to years of strict shinobi training, refrained from laughing. His only visible reaction was the minute lifting of an eyebrow. Tsunade meanwhile, stared at Iruka as though she'd never seen him before. Ibiki cleared his throat in what suspiciously sounded like a covered up chuckle. The chunin could only blush furiously.

Kanaria cleared her throat as well. "_Anyway_, it is clear that you have a record of deviant, malicious, and destructive behavior starting at least from your early genin days. One of your main partners and friend from your early chunin days is a traitor in the insane asylum. The other is dead by your hand." She paused here to allow the statements to settle in. "Yet despite all this, we're supposed to trust your claims that you never wanted to kidnap Adachi Kento, and that you killed him by accident?"

"It's the truth." Iruka asserted.

She smiled patronizingly and shook her head. "I rest my case."

Kakashi shook his head as well. Iruka did not stand a chance. Not unless he pulled out a brilliant response, and fast.

"Do you have anything to add, Umino-san?" Tsunade asked.

The copy nin had never seen Iruka look so defeated, not even after being cut down in front of his superiors when he challenged Kakashi over the chunin exam nominations. The spark of fight was all but gone from his expressive eyes. Yet, what else could the sensei do? Everything Kanaria said about his past were documented facts taken directly from his personal files, though undoubtedly they were misrepresented.

"I have already told you the truth about what happened. While some of my actions on that mission were less than commendable, _none_ were illegal," Iruka continued firmly, "I am not guilty of kidnapping or murdering Adachi Kento. Though, I have no evidence to offer…other than my word as a ninja and citizen of the Leaf."

Great. He's going to be executed. Kakashi just knew it.

Tsunade nodded, and not without regret she announced. "If there's no more evidence to present, the joint Sand-Leaf Council will adjourn and…"

"Wait," a voice rang out, cutting off the Hokage.

Every eye turned to Kakashi.

Why was that?

Oh yeah, because he had just called out.

The copy nin suppressed the urge to smack himself in the forehead. Why had he done that? It's not like he could _do_ anything to change the situation. Ah, well...too late to turn back now.

"If the Council will give me some time," Kakashi began in his lazy drawl, "I'd like to give it a shot."

"Give _what_ a shot?" Tsunade snapped irritably.

"Defending Iruka."

* * *

Next Chapter: Well…Kakashi defending Iruka, of course!  
And...it's _possible_ that I might not be able to respond to _every_ review as I have been, due to a severe case of time deficiency. However, that is not at all an indication that I am any less grateful to receive such reviews. I apologize in advance if I do not reply to your feedback in a timely manner. ^^

Shameless self-promotion: For those who may have missed the note the first time around, and are wondering about what went on with the torture incident. You can read about it the one-shot I've posted called Shattered.

Replies to Anonymous Reviewers:

~Rangerfan58: Thanks! ^^ As you can see, I didn't really go into Iruka's explanation, because he's explaining things that I've already shown you in flashbacks, and I don't imaging readers being too keen on having to read it all over again in a less interesting way. (It's usually more pleasant to be shown a scene than to have to endure a character talking about it.) But after Kanaria digs in with her attacks, she was able to catch him off guard, bring up old guilty feelings and generally trash his credibility. No one's going to believe what he says now, so it's up to Kakashi to…well, he's not quite sure yet what he's going to do. But whatever it is, he'll at least try!

~gigi: I appreciate your assessment of this chapter. ^-^ I'm not even quite sure what to say to all your lovely comments. /blush/ I'm glad you've been enjoying the portrayls of the various characters, as I try to keep them as believable and interesting as I can. And thanks for the contribution to Iruka's "Get Out Soon" card! In a totally unrelated note, one of my comments was originally written "Even tho your mean…" But every time I edited the chapter, I would cringe at that horrible intentional mistake, and finally I could take it no longer and changed it to "Even tho you're mean…" I just couldn't stand to leave it that way, even for effect. (What'll be funny is that I probably have that same mistake somewhere in this story by accident. ^^)


	21. P II, Chapter 10

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"So…this is our elite shinobi leader? He looks completely worthless." ~ Uchiha Sasuke  
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Kakashi despised paperwork. Yet here he was, shifting through mission reports, formal complaints, medical documents, and more. When his thumb slid along the edge of an assessment form, leaving a stinging, bloodless cut behind, he tried to remember why he was even doing this in the first place.

Oh yes.

Because Pakkun likes Iruka. He couldn't let his nindog down. That, and Tsunade had agreed to excuse him from helping in the Academy in order to give him time to research and organize a defense.

Speaking of Pakkun…

Kakashi bit his thumb hard over the irritating paper cut and used the blood to summoned his nindog. "Make yourself useful and read some of this for me." The copy nin drawled, pushing forward a pile of folders.

The pug made a face at the mounds of paperwork scattered over the kitchen table. "I'm not your secretary."

"But this is important," Kakashi said, jabbing his finger toward the dog for emphasis. "They're going to execute Iruka-san if we don't find something useful in very little time."

Pakkun sat down on his hind legs, grumbling to himself. "Iruka…Iruka…You mean the guy that smells like chalk and parchment?"

"With just a hint of tea leaves." Kakashi agreed.

"Oh." The dog frowned. "Well, I guess we can't let him die." He approached the closest stack of papers. "So what am I looking for, exactly?"

"I'm not sure." Kakashi replied cheerfully. "But if you find something interesting, let me know."

"Iruka's doomed." Pakkun groaned.

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"_Kakashi's_ your defense attorney now?"

Anko burst out laughing, clinging to the bars of Iruka's cell to prevent her from falling to the floor. "You are so screwed!"

Iruka felt the muscle by his eye twitch and instantly regretted opening his mouth at all when the kunoichi wheedled him for any information. The fact that Anko was part of the Torture and Interrogation staff, and thus was often the one guarding him, did not help matters. Anko thought that guarding a prisoner was somehow tacit permission to endlessly pester said prisoner. Perhaps it was a form of interrogation.

"Why in the world would Kakashi-san agree to _that_?" Anko chuckled gleefully, unperturbed by the chunin's growing irritation.

"Give me a second while I perform my mind-reading-no-jutsu." Iruka snapped. The question was one the sensei had been wondering himself. He'd failed rather spectacularly in his defense, too tied up in his own emotions and grief to prevent Kanaria from dominating the situation, and there was no question in his mind that he'd been on the path to execution. It surprised him that Kakashi cared enough to try to do something about it.

"Do you at least have your will up-to-date?" the chatty kunoichi asked, all practicality.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Iruka replied. "And no, you're not getting anything."

"Iruuuka-kuuun," Anko whined. "Why not? You _know_ I've had my eyes on that engraved kunai set! They're so kawaii! And I wouldn't mind having your china either, since mine are all chipped and I'll have to replace them soon."

The chunin couldn't help but smile grudgingly. Anko was only trying to cheer him up, in her morbid, sociopathic sort of way. "I don't understand why you're so sure of my destruction, Anko-san. They don't call Kakashi a genius for nothing."

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The second part of the trial was underway, and the atmosphere was tense in the restricted access courtroom. All eyes were on the copynin once Tsunade gave him leave to speak.

Kakashi rose languidly and arranged several forms into separate stacks, categorized in a yet unknown way.

Finally, he turned and gravely faced the Sand-Leaf Council, who were now waiting with bated breath for his introduction. Still, the jounin took his time, letting his half lidded yet intense eye roam over each Councilor in turn.

He drew in a breath.

"After painstaking research…and multiple papercuts," Kakashi began, waving a bandaged hand over to the table "I was able to find and sort out every complaint form that was ever filed against Umino Iruka, and it became undeniably obvious that Umino-san was, indeed, a loudmouth demon-brat of a genin."

Everyone blinked in surprise, shooting puzzled glances at one another.

"I don't see how this helps me, Kakashi-san." Iruka hissed under his breath.

"_But_," Kakashi continued, ignoring the sensei's comment. "He did not, as Kanaria-san claimed, discriminate against Sand. These forms are separated by country of origin for the source of the complaint." Kakashi ticked off the country names one by one as he pointed to each stack. "Fire, River, Tea, Grass, Wind…He was obnoxious to _all_ his clients, every one, whether from Konoha or abroad. So any argument based on discrimination is clearly false."

Kanaria was unruffled. She merely tossed her head back confidently. "Perhaps, but you've just proved my point about Umino's unquenchable thirst for deviant and malicious behaviour."

"I know it's difficult, but please wait your turn, Kanaria-san. Then you might be able to keep from sticking your foot in your mouth." Kakashi responded without missing a beat. "I'd like to point out a rather interesting fact about every complaint ever made based on Umino-san's immature behavior. They begin at age eleven, when he first became a genin, and continue until well into his thirteenth year."

Kakashi pulling out a few sheets of old mission reports, "A month before his fourteenth birthday, Umino-san lost his entire genin squad, included his jounin sensei, whose body had to be brought back to Konoha in a bucket. Reports from the other teams on this joint mission are all clear that these losses were in no way Iruka's fault. Look through his files. After this point, there is never again a complaint based on rudeness to a client or childish behavior. Unless Kanaria-san would like to prove me wrong."

He looked over at red haired kunoichi, his visible eye curved to suggest he was smiling. She did not comment.

"And thus ended his…what did you call it?...'thirst for deviant behavior.' More commonly known as childhood."

You could see the effect among those in the room, as Kanaria's misrepresentation of the facts became apparent. It was a good opening, Iruka considered, since the revelation of one deceitful argument made all her other statements suspect as well.

The copy nin crossed his arms, and seemed to be deep in thought while he recalled what other points had been made last hearing. "Kanaria-san also spent a fair amount of time trying to convince us that Umino-san is willing to indiscriminately kill both allies and innocents in order to secure a successful mission."

Iruka cringed inwardly, sensing that a painful delving into the mission where he killed his partner would be next on the copy nin's list. Kakashi however, had no such intension. Proving that Iruka had not acted criminally in _one _particular mission did not do enough to answer the broad charge Kanaria had laid.

Instead, he pulled out a large scroll, "To answer that claim, I'd like to bring out Umino-san's personal evaluation and observation of his students, which I stole from his apartment last night."

The chunin made a mental note to update his traps, even while he recognized with some satisfaction that the bandages on the jounin's hand and wrists were caused by his home security, rather than actual paper cuts.

"For those who may not know, Umino-san is an academy instructor. He regularly evaluates his students in order to know how to plan his lessons. Here are some particularly interesting notations:

"One student 'is too eager to resort to combat. He reflexively leans towards violence when other means are available.' Another 'has a blatant disregard for the value of life.' Yet another 'is so obsessed with how many ways a person can be killed she is in danger of never becoming a balanced ninja.'

Kakashi paused to allow the comments to sink in before retrieving another folder. "Here, in Iruka's personal notes…" (Iruka remembered with a sigh that he kept those notes in an elaborately sealed secret compartment in his desk. Just how far did Kakashi go in the investigation of his apartment?) "…we find lessons aims such as 'Encourage students to think creatively and weigh their options in various scenarios. Remind them that every enemy is also a person, so be wary about choosing to take a life.'"

The jounin looked up at the Council, "I dare say if any of his superiors, myself included, read his personal notes, they'd denounce his views as soft-hearted and weak. Some would even go so far as to say it's positively treasonous to think of the enemy as a person having value. This type of outlook is radically different from what Kanaria-san claims him to be."

Iruka felt both grateful and dreadfully irritated at Kakashi's assessment. Soft-hearted? Weak? _Treasonous_? Was this a defense or an attempt to make sure he never taught the academy children again, whatever the outcome of the trial?

"That proves nothing," Kanaria argued, ready to take control of the situation. "Anyone can come up with whatever philosophy they want in a classroom. All the better to disguise his psychotic tendencies. It's a rather common cover for criminals."

"I thought you would say that," Kakashi acknowledged, withdrawing yet another document-laden folder. "That's why I also brought some assessment reports written by Umino-san's squad mates for various missions during his teen years.

"One jounin writes 'I am concerned about Iruka-san's behavior this past mission. He is too ready to extend mercy to the enemy.'

"A chunin reports that 'Iruka-san prevented me from killing the guard as we left, knocking her unconscious instead. When I asked him about it later, his response was to ask 'Why does her life have any less value than yours?' Seeing this as a disloyal sentiment, I reminded him that she is an enemy, to which Iruka-san shrugged, saying, 'In her eyes, we are the enemy.'

"Another chunin recounts how Umino-san suggested burying the bodies of recently defeated opponents since they had time, because it would 'prevent the animals from eating the corpses before their families find them and give them proper burial.'"

Kakashi stopped reading. "These reports, and others like them, resulted in a meeting with our Third Hokage to discuss whether Umino-san was too unorthodox in his philosophy for him to continue as an active duty shinobi. However, his unwavering loyalty, excellent mission success record, and the fact that he has never left a comrade behind, allowed for a compromise. He moved from assistant teacher to full-time instructor, going on occasional missions only as needed.

"So you can see, Adachi-san's account and Kanaria-san's depiction of the chunin's behavior is inconsistent with the character of compassionate do-gooding he's displayed his entire lifetime." The copy nin surmised with a satisfied nod.

Tsunade looked impressed with Kakashi's effective, albeit unconventional, defense. "Are you finished presenting your case?" She questioned, noting that he was putting all the paperwork away.

"No, Hokage-sama. There is one last thing." Kakashi admitted. "I'd like to call both Adachi-san and Umino-san to the front."

Toric seemed wary as he approached the front with Iruka, and understandably so. This leaf jounin was obviously clever, and the medic resolved not to allow him to twist his testimony around in Iruka's favor. It didn't matter what Kakashi had claimed earlier. Toric knew what he had seen, and he knew Iruka was a murderer.

The silver haired jounin asked them to describe in detail the battlefield in which Kento died. Both men, having suffered countless nightmares revisiting the past, had the scene indelibly etched in their mind. Thus there was no trouble reconstructing the scene from memory in very little time.

After listening carefully to the description, Kakashi performed a series of hand signs. Every ninja in the room tensed instinctively, but he merely cast a mild genjutsu that caused the room to take the basic appearance of the scene just described. A few minor corrections from the two witnesses, and they had a generic replica of the place in which Kento died.

"Show me where you two fought." Kakashi ordered. The two men took their places.

"I was here," Iruka demonstrated, his back to the rocks, "Until I cast the body replacement jutsu. Toric-san slashed the dummy's neck right around…"

"Here." Toric asserted confidently, taking his spot.

"Meanwhile, I had already teleported to _this_ area." Iruka leapt to a higher elevation in the in the rocky canyon wall." "I jumped and threw four kunai while Toric's back was still turned. One was aimed at his right shoulder, since he is a right handed senbon user. Another was aimed at his left knee, to hinder his mobility, and one was thrown to either side of him, in case he dodged in either direction."

Toric glared and was about to respond, but Kakashi cut him off. "Where was Kento hiding?"

The medic froze briefly, but quickly composed himself and walked to a niche in the rocks. "He was hidden here. I…hadn't realized."

Kakashi tilted his head ponderously, "Is it possible that Iruka-san also didn't realize he was hidden there?"

The medic tensed. "That strike was perfect. It hit Kento's heart dead center. He _must_ have been targeted."

"That's not my question, Adachi-san," Kakashi corrected. He proceeded slowly and pointedly, "I'm asking: if you, an experienced forty-year-old ninja, did not notice that your own son, whom you've raised since birth, was hiding nearby; is it _possible_ that a sixteen-year-old, recently promoted chunin did not notice either?"

"It's…_possible_." Toric admitted reluctantly.

"Tell me what happened after you slashed Umino-san's decoy." Kakashi requested.

"I wasn't sure where he had gone, but I heard the slight whistle of kunai being thrown, so I turned around…"

"Wait." The copy nin held up a hand. "Where was Kento-kun when you turned around?"

"He must have been hiding still. I had not seen him yet."

"You turned _after_ you heard kunai being thrown?"

"Yes."

"Yet, at the time you turned, Kento-kun was still in hiding." Kakashi tilted his head as he considered this piece of information. "Meaning that your son did not leave his hiding spot until _after_ Umino-san threw the weapons."

Kakashi looked up at Iruka's position, then down to where the boy was said to be hidden. "From Umino-san's high vantage point, the child is entirely hidden by rocks," he pointed out. "Tell me…how could Umino-san aim for something that isn't even there?"

Toric was silent.

"He couldn't." Kakashi answered for him. "Iruka-sensei had never intended to strike the boy."

The jounin's eye curved merrily, "And with that, I rest my case."

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Closing remarks were made, and the hearing was adjourned while the Sand-Leaf Council deliberated their verdict. The next assembly time would be announced once a decision was reached.

Before he was escorted back to prison, Iruka laid both his shackled hands on one of Kakashi's shoulders. His warm brown eyes reflected deep gratitude. "Thank you, Kakashi-san."

"Mah," the jounin shirked back casually. "You shouldn't thank me yet. We don't even know if I've accomplished anything."

Iruka waved a hand in the air, metaphorically brushing the protest aside. "Either way, you helped me when I most needed it. And I hadn't even asked you too. I'll never forget this, Kakashi-san."

"Eh." Kakashi shrugged. "It wasn't all that noble. It got me out of teaching."

"Right." Iruka grinned knowingly, "And I suppose wading through hours of mind-numbing research into the life of a boring chunin was much more preferable."

"Anything's better than pre-genins. And you're not all that boring, Iruka-sensei." Kakashi stuck his hands into his pockets nonchalantly. "Pakkun did most of the work anyway."

"Your nindog?" Iruka blinked.

"Yeah. I guess he likes you or something," the jounin remarked flippantly. "He wouldn't want anything to happen to you if he could help it."

"Yes, well, please tell…_Pakkun_," Iruka emphasized significantly, "that I appreciate his concern, and am grateful for his friendship."

"It _was_ Pakkun," Kakashi insisted, annoyed.

"Of course." Iruka smiled agreeably, then let himself be led away by the guards.

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Next Chapter: Meh. I don't feel like telling you what's coming next chapter. ^^

Author's Recommendation: How many of you love Iruka?

How many of you have read chibi heishi's "Stopping the Storm"?

If you love Iruka, you ought to read "Stopping the Storm". That's all there is to it.  
(Although if you need more convincing…it's a very exciting story complete with enemy agent infiltrators, and a plot to…oh, well, I shouldn't be giving away the story line. Just read it.) There's no Kakashi, but come on, it's possible to have a good Iruka story without Kakashi in it! Hey, stop laughing…I'm being serious! *pouts*

*This ad is brought to you by WhyMustIWrite and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of chibi heishi or Fanfiction dot net.

Review replies to anonymous reviewers:

~gigi: Lol, nice River Dance. ;) I'd join you, except I'd probably trip on my own feet! Thank again for your comments.

~let it snow: I'm glad you appreciate my quirky sense of humor. I try to balance seriousness and humor so the story doesn't get too depressing, or too ridiculous. The Itachi reference was the result of my admiring Itachi's very pretty eyes and thinking that he probably was a girly looking kid.

~ jazzy: You're not exactly "anonymous", but this is faster than searching out your profile for a PM. ^^ I wonder if Iruka wasn't reaping what he sowed with having Naruto for a student.


	22. P II, Chapter 11

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"Forgive me. If I'd been a better teacher…a better self…maybe neither of us would have come to this." ~Umino Iruka  
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Iruka reclined on the lumpy, worn mattress in his cell, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. There was no word yet on when the verdict would be announced.

The sensei had dwelled upon the regrets of the past and the uncertainty of the future for so long that he became physically and spiritually worn out. Realizing the futility of such a course, he resolved not to focus on it any more than necessary.

But keeping his mind on the present was rather dull. There was no work to complete, and Torture and Interrogation staff was not at all concerned with Iruka's entertainment. Even Anko gave up on talking to him once it became apparent he was not going to let her in on the details of this secret trial. If Ibiki didn't inform her, he sure wasn't going to volunteer information for her to gossip over later.

Frankly, Iruka was bored. He was also seriously craving ramen.

If this trial somehow ended in the sensei's freedom, he'd invite Konohamaru for a celebration lunch at Ichiraku's, Iruka decided. He'd order a large bowl of…pork ramen? Or maybe chicken? Yes, Ichiraku's had some outstanding creamy chicken ramen. Extra toppings were relatively inexpensive and definitely worth it.

Though, even if he were executed, they'd likely allow him a last meal before the event, and he could die with the pleasant salty goodness of instant noodles in flavorful broth on his lips.

The sensei was roused from his boredom-induced ramen musings by Anko. "You've got a visitor, Iruka-san."

Iruka sat up. Normally, visitors checked in at the security desk and then were allowed to pass through themselves, talking to the prisoner through the bars of his cell. It was unusual for them to be announced beforehand. "Are you going to let him in?"

"That's up to you." Anko grinned wickedly. "If you don't want to see him, I'll be more than happy to throw him out in the most painful way possible."

"Who is it?"

"Adachi Toric."

The chunin was silent for a moment. Finally he nodded. "Let him in."

The Anko frowned as though she did not think it was a good idea, or perhaps just disappointed that she wouldn't get to thrash him, and went to fetch said medic.

The grey-haired man wore chakra-suppressing cuffs on his wrists and a blindfold over his eyes. Anko could be rather touchy about foreign ninja entering her domain, unless said foreign ninja was a prisoner for her to play with. Only when they were in front of Iruka's cell did Anko remove the blindfold.

Toric's ice blue gaze settled on the chunin. "I'd like to speak to him in private."

Anko scoffed. "Like _that's_ gonna happen."

The chunin, however, nodded to let her know it was fine.

Anko sighed and rolled her eyes. Iruka could be way too nice sometimes. What fun was it if you couldn't even harass a visitor? "If you want to be alone, it will be inside the cell," the kunoichi warned both the medic and Iruka. She couldn't leave an outsider unrestrained. "And there are cameras watching, so it's not entirely private." She added, this warning meant for the Suna nin. "If you try anything funny, I'll be using your face for target practice."

Toric agreed to be locked in the cell, still bound with chakra-cuffs. When he was done with the visit he'd indicate it with a wave at the camera.

In moments, Iruka found himself alone in his cell with the still shackled medic. It suddenly occurred to him that Toric was only fifty years old, and yet his head was entirely covered with thick grey hair. Ten years ago it had been dirty blonde, with a rare grey invader appearing sparingly at the temples.

"Would you like to have a seat?" Iruka began, falling back into familiar politeness while faced with this rather uncomfortable situation.

Toric barely spared a glance at the old mattress, the only seating accommodation, aside from the toilet. "No. I came for information."

"Information?" Iruka repeated questioningly. "Information" was his specialty. And keeping information from others was one as well. Missions Desk Workers were rigorously trained to maintain secrecy even under severe duress.

"I want to know what happened to my son after you took him."

Iruka was suspicious. Had Kanaria sent him to try to wheedle an unwitting confession? "I told you I did not take him. My partner did it while I was occupied elsewhere."

Toric frowned impatiently. "Still, I want to know what happened to him."

"I'm not authorized to release any information beyond what was brought out at the trial. I've already explained everything, Adachi-san."

"Don't give me that procedural garbage. I think I have a right to know what you did to my son."

Their eyes met. Ice blue and liquid brown engaged in a battle of wills. Neither was willing to look away first.

"While still under trial, I am not to release information to unauthorized persons." Iruka bore no ill will toward the man. Actually, he harbored much regret over what transpired on that mission. Still, it was not wise to discuss trial details with the prosecuting side, especially while the case was not yet decided.

Though not meant to be patronizing, the words seemed to agitate the medic further. He finally did break eye contact. "You impersonated my son, so well in fact that I didn't even notice." To Iruka's surprise, there was self-loathing in the man's voice.

"You knew his favorite foods," Toric continued, "You knew the names of all his friends. You knew what he liked to do in the afternoons, and you knew our bedtime routine. Did you torture him for that knowledge?"

The question stung like a physical blow. To Iruka, it seemed like an utterly absurd accusation. But to a grieving, guilt-stricken father, the possibility must have been haunting. The weight of that uncertainty and guilt could not have been easy to bear.

"No, I did not torture him." Iruka said clearly. "I comforted him, offered him food, and struck up a conversation."

"Why would he reveal anything to someone who kidnapped him?" Toric growled, obviously not believing a word of it.

"I did not kidnap him. My partner did," Iruka established before answering the question. "Kento was afraid. I was kind to him and assured him that we would not hurt him. Eventually he began to feel comfortable around me." Iruka didn't want the medic to think his son had suffered. "The worst that was done to him was tying him up to prevent escape, and even that was not all the time."

Toric gazed at him intently, as though trying to discern the truthfulness of the statement.

"Trust me, Toric-san, I was not happy about the situation. I don't have children of my own, but I have students to whom I am close. You should be proud of your son. He was very brave, and he quickly surmised why he was being held. He was more concerned for your safety than he was for his own."

The medic's ice blue eyes turned away at this.

"I was able to learn so much from him only because I kept the conversation casual and avoided topics that would make him uncomfortable. He seemed to have an interest in the particulars of the ninja world. He said he hadn't been taught much about it."

Toric's eyebrows drew together. "I did not want my son to be a ninja. It's a hard life. My wife and I agreed that he would have the real childhood we never experienced. I wanted…to protect him."

"That's a worthy goal." Iruka murmured. Though he would not wish to give up being a ninja, he wondered what it would be like to have a normal childhood. "But I got the sense that he felt a bit disconnected from your life. He was eager enough to learn what simple techniques I offered him, because it brought him a bit closer to the part of your life he never experienced, but always wondered about. Through the course of those quick, simple lessons, I learned little things here and there about his personality and habits, and used it to imitate him better."

The elder shook his head, frustrated. "I should have known it immediately. What kind of father am I?"

Iruka hesitated. The man's grief was vivid, a concrete heaviness that threatened to suffocate him. Any suspicions about Kanaria sending him for incriminating evidence melted away. Toric was seeking for closure in his own heart.

Though it would alleviate some of the guilt, Iruka could not tell him about the near-perfect disguise the Master Henge technique offered. Kento's mom had seen through it because Iruka was unprepared for interaction with her. He never addressed that subject with the boy, knowing that she wasn't due back from her mission for at least another two weeks. It was a sloppy mistake he learned never to repeat.

Instead he decided to answer the man's rhetorical question. "You're a very good father. Your care for the boy was obvious in everything you did. And it was very easy to fall into the act of pretending to be your son, because you reminded me of my own father. Believe it or not, you both used the same evening routine. It had been ages since my last bedtime story." Iruka's voice was light, hoping to lessen the tension. The attempt at humor fell completely flat, sounding like blasphemy in this somber setting.

"Toric-san, it's not your fault that Kento-kun is dead." Iruka sighed.

"No," the medic assented grimly. "It's yours."

Iruka had no response for that.

"Why?"

The chunin looked up at the Sand shinobi, confused. "Why?" he repeated.

"Why did he have to die? What was so important that it cost my son his life?"

"You _know_ I can't tell you that." Iruka frowned.

"Did you get it? Whatever it was you came for?"

Iruka was silent.

Toric slammed a fist on the wall. "I want to know why! I _need_ to know. It's been ten years, surely it would make no difference to Konoha if I know. You owe me at least _that_ much Umino-san. You've stolen the most precious thing in my life. You can at least tell me why this happened."

"I can't tell you my mission objective." Iruka responded, pained by the accusation. A long silence followed, then the chunin added, "I _can_, however, share with you some history that would be common knowledge to anyone at the time, and can easily be uncovered with quick, legitimate research."

Toric waited, wanting to see where this turn would lead.

"Ten years ago, several citizens of Konohagakure fell ill to a mysterious virus. It was highly contagious, and in a short amount of time spread to scores of people, both ninja and civilian. The Konoha Medical Corps finally managed to quarantine the victims, and it became apparent that they would die if treatment was not given quickly. However, our medical research was not complete enough to offer a remedy."

Iruka paused to consider his words carefully. Though the chunin was not technically telling Toric anything classified, he knew he was truly stretching his parameters. If Ibiki heard about this, Iruka would be in serious trouble indeed.

Still, he truly didn't believe that Konoha would be harmed by giving the man some closure, so he continued his narrative. "There was a medic in Sand whose breakthroughs in antiviral chakra treatments were highly lauded.

"Konoha appealed to Sunagakure for permission to access this medic's research- an appeal that was categorically denied, since it was clearly in Suna's advantage to have a monopoly on the newest antiviral cures. Suna also refused the request to have our people transported there for treatment. They were unwilling to risk the virus being spread to Sand, in case a cure could not be found."

Toric understood the implications. "You came to steal my research."

"I did not say that." Iruka corrected patiently, "I'm merely telling you the story of a desperate time in Konoha's history, when Sunagakure was too busy playing politics to care that our people were dying."

The medic shook his head. "That is impossible. I was never informed about a request to access my research. I heard of no such plague in Konoha. You are lying."

"Perhaps you were never informed, but I assure you, all the information I'm telling you now is common knowledge, easily accessible, and readily verifiable. The moment you leave here you could check for yourself."

The medic struggled with this new information. "So," Toric sank onto the mattress, "My son is dead because of _politics_." He spat the word distastefully. It somehow didn't surprise him that their former Kazekage would withhold medical information to gain leverage in the political realm.

The man sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes in a weary gesture. "Did the stricken patients ever recover?" He knew better now than to ask if Iruka was successful in stealing what they needed.

"Yes." Iruka confirmed quietly. "Somehow, a cure was found in time and the lives of the Leaf citizens were spared."

"I wish I could say the same of the Sand citizens." Toric said pointedly. "My son was not the only one who died by your and your partner's hands that day." The anger which had contaminated him for so long was not so easily deterred.

The elder then waved at the camera, signaling for Anko to return. Apparently, he decided he had learned enough. The purple haired kunoichi responded promptly, striding down the hall toward them.

"I'm sorry, Adachi-san," Iruka murmured quietly. "But my people were dying, what else could I do?"

Toric drew himself up when he answered. "Boy, I am a _medic_, not a politician." Anko unlocked the prison and proceeded to blindfold the man as he continued. "I would have _given_ you the information, if you had only asked."

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Next Chapter: Plotting school children, and the final verdict. (The next chapter is also the 2nd to last chapter in this story!)

Review replies to anonymous reviewers:

~jazzy: ^-^ Thank you! So glad that you're enjoying this story. This chapter suffers from lack of Kakashi, I'm afraid, but it can't be helped sometimes. He'll be back next chapter. :)

~let it snow: ^_^; I think there's a misunderstanding here. The kunai that killed Kento was indeed thrown by Iruka. Kakashi's point here was that Iruka wasn't _aiming_ for the boy. It was an accident, not murder.  
Though…that _would_ have been quite a twist, eh? ;) When I first wrote this story though, I already had in mind that Iruka was responsible for the death.

~vefa: So sorry that I missed answering to your review last time. ^_^;; I made that mistake because I was looking under "Chapter 20" reviews, and yours is listed as a "Chapter 12" review.  
/blush/ Thank you for your feedback. I try my best with grammar, though I do make mistakes occasionally. I'm glad you like the pace. And you're very welcome: I know from experience how difficult it is find a good story involving these two that isn't yaoi. I _really_ appreciate your comments on the characterization, since that is by far where I put forth the most effort. lol, Don't worry about not giving me ideas to go forth. :) It helps me focus when I know what I'm doing right. Not to mention, it makes me happy too. :D


	23. P II, Chapter 12

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"It seems like the small leaves in the Village of Konoha have inherited that "will of fire" you spoke of, Third." ~ Umino Iruka  
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At the Hokage's office, a veritable mountain of paper lay heaped upon her desk. It was all the work that had been piling up in recent days. Too much of her time was being swallowed by this ordeal with Sand. Furthermore, she could no longer dump off her excess work on Iruka, so she actually had to do all of it herself.

For the good of Konoha, and for more selfish reasons, she sincerely hoped the Sand-Leaf Council would free the man.

The office door opened and Shizune, her assistant (who was rather picky about Tsunade doing her own work), entered. "Tsunade-sama, could I have a word with you?"

"I told you, I _am_ doing my work. Stop pestering me already."

"It's not that," Shizune responded. "It's about the rumors circulating about the trial."

"What rumors?" Tsunade frowned. "The hearings were completely closed to the public. And those who attended have sworn to be silent on the issue."

"That's the _problem_, Tsunade-sama. The secrecy has made it worse. Since no one knows what's really happening, all sorts of wild theories are floating around. The charges against Umino-san have been greatly exaggerated, and all sorts of malicious stories have sprung up."

"Wonderful." The Hokage sighed. "Well, if people want to gossip, that's not my problem."

"It's unfair to Umino-san." Shizune retorted. She was rather fond of the chunin sensei, in a sisterly sort of way. "And besides that, these rumors have been causing problems. I mean, Kotestsu-san and Izumo-san have already gotten into three brawls in the mission room over insulting remarks about Iruka-sensei."

"Yes, well, I'll just have a talk with those Desk Workers of mine." Tsunade said calmly.

"Inuzuka-san got into a fight with Hyuuga-san in the streets over it," Shizune continued.

Tsunade waved a hand dismissively. "Kiba-kun is a well known hot head and is always picking fights with Neji-kun, so I don't think that's anything to be alarmed about. Just send a note to their guardians and-"

"Actually, Tsunade-sama," Sizune interrupted. "It was Inuzuka _Tsume_ and Hyuuga _Hiashi _that got into the fight. Tsume-san has been fond of Iruka-sensei ever since he taught her son, and Hiashi-san…is not." She sighed wearily. "You know how protective, even possessive, the Inuzuka clan can be. I had to call in Anbu to get things settled down."

Shizune didn't wait for a comment before reporting her next point. "There's also been a rumor ruminating among the civilians, that a clan head with a personal vendetta has framed Iruka-sensei. It's making the civilian sector quite agitated and there's talk of demanding an investigation into supposed corruption in the Konoha government."

Tsunade considered this startling piece of news with a frown. "It seems the main problem is all these hyped-up rumors over Iruka-san's case. We'll need to make this final hearing open to the public. That way, they can know the true charges, as well as the verdict. Then there'd be no need to spread false information."

* * *

Recess at the Ninja Academy was unusually subdued. Instead of hordes of children running around the yard, the pre-genins were huddled up in groups avidly discussing some unknown subject.

This made Shikamaru rather uneasy. But it would be too much of a bother to try to break them up.

In fact, recess was a lot less troublesome when the children actually refrained from playing with each other. There were far less accidents that way. Shikamaru was not one to reject a break, and whatever they were planning, he'd be able to thwart it should the need arise. The young sensei-in-training was content to cross that bridge when he got to it.

"Didja hear?" one boy uttered excitedly, "They're letting people go see what's gonna happen to Iruka-sensei."

"Yeah, mom says they're announcing tomorrow morning whether or not he's guilty."

"Well that's stupid. Of _course_ he's not guilty! He's _Iruka-sensei_ for cryin' out loud!"

"I dunno, sensei can be pretty scary when he wants to be. Maybe…"

"My father says there's no doubt Sand will find him guilty. They're going to kill him."

"Hanabi-chan, you're dad's just saying that 'cause he hates Iruka-sensei."

"Father is never wrong."

"Well he's wrong about this! Believe it!"

"Ugh, that's so annoying, Konohamaru-kun. Do you have to say that all the time?"

"Guys, what if Hanabi-chan's right? What if they _do _decide to kill Iruka-sensei?"

"We can't let that happen!"

"But we might get less homework..."

The boy who had just spoken was pinned down under angry glares.

"_Anyway…_Dad says he's going to the hearing tomorrow, and it's okay for me to miss school and go with him. Any of you going?"

"Of course! No way I'll miss out on this."

"I dunno…my mom might not let me miss school."

"Well, just cry and beg until she does! Tell her this could be your last chance to see Iruka-sensei."

"We _all_ have to be there tomorrow. We'll keep those Sand ninja in line. BELIEVE IT!"

"YEAH!" The children chorused, caught up in the excitement.

"How?" Hanabi asked, ever the realist.

"Hmmm. We need a plan…"

* * *

Gaara arrived in Konoha for the final hearing that would announce the verdict of Umino Iruka's trial. Once that business was complete, he and the Hokage would meet and discuss how to further strengthen the ties between the two nations.

The trial chamber was filling up quickly. Quite a number of the spectators were children, and many were civilians. As time passed, the room grew so crowded that people were standing in every available floor space, and some shinobi were literally hanging out on the walls, securing themselves with chakra.

The Kazekage could understand the large turnout. This trial was unusual; the first of its kind for this generation. Still, it was rather curious that so many young children would show an interest as well.

The guards led Iruka into the trial chambers, but the moment he caught sight of the crowd, the chunin froze in surprise. He felt suddenly nervous, as scores of eyes set on him. And what were his students doing here? Weren't they supposed to be in school?

"Meh, Iruka-sensei, just keep walking," he heard Kakashi murmur to him quietly. "Don't worry about the peanut gallery."

The words drew the chunin out of his daze and Iruka continued walking. Kakashi's eye narrowed as he noticed the sickly pallor of the other man's normally dark skin. "Are you ill?"

Iruka shook his head tiredly. "I couldn't sleep. Yesterday…" His voice trailed off.

"Yesterday…?" Kakashi prompted.

The sensei looked up at him briefly, but looked away, unwilling to face the evaluating gaze. "Toric-san and I had a talk yesterday."

There was a flicker of emotion in his brown eyes when he said this, though it was too brief for Kakashi to discern if it was fear, regret, or something else. The copy nin shot a glare over in the direction of the prosecutor's stand, where Toric and Kanaria were already seated. "What did he say to you? If he threatened you, Iruka-san…"

"No, it wasn't like that," the younger shinobi interjected quickly. "It's just…it was a draining conversation. And we both discovered some things we hadn't known before."

Kakashi would have questioned him further, but Tsunade stood at that moment, ready to assume her role as moderator and call the meeting to order.

Tsunade held out her hands, signaling for everyone to pay attention. Immediately all the private conversations in the room ceased.

However, before words could leave the Hokage's mouth, a shout arose and homemade signs and banners were whipped out into the open, unfurled by several students. Iruka's name was sprawled across them in crooked kanji, along with slogans like "Free our Sensei!", "We Want Him Back!", and, even a couple that read "Hey Sand, Get Out of Our Land!" All at once, they began chanting and cheering for their teacher, as though they were at a tournament or sports event.

In a flash, the jounin on security detail attempted to confiscate the banners without harming the children. The children shouted and protested, and mortified parents were able to get some of them under control. Others who were either orphans, or not as easily discouraged, continued making a scene.

A vein throbbed visibly in Tsunade's forehead. "This hearing will come to order _immediately!_" she thundered, causing most of the grown shinobi to cower. The children however, were not to be dissuaded. They were fighting for a cause the only way they knew how.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Every child stilled involuntarily in a reflexive response to their sensei's most potent "you-are-in-trouble" teacher voice.

Iruka made as if to cross his arms, but the cuffs prevented him, so he jerked them back down and continued in a much quieter, yet equally stern voice. "Your _Hokage_ demanded that you come to order, and yet you continue with your antics? Do you wish to embarrass our nation in front our visiting shinobi? Do you want them to think that our ninja fail to follow simple orders?"

Guilty faces peered down at the floor.

"Well? Do you?" Iruka pressed.

"No, Iruka-sensei," the subdued chorus of voices responded.

"Good. Then I expect you to behave yourselves in this courtroom."

"But…we're only trying to help," one high pitched voice quavered out.

Toric was surprised by the way Iruka handled the children of Konoha. The sensei's expression softened before responding to the sentiment uttered by the now almost teary student. The children hung on his words, though few seemed satisfied with Iruka's assertion that this case was being taken care of by the proper authorities and that they didn't need to be troubled over it.

Finally, Iruka resumed his place at Kakashi's side. With a blush and embarrassed chuckle he inclined his head. "Ready to proceed, Tsunade-sama."

"Thank you." Tsunade remarked stiffly, intensely aware of the fact that she was receiving the go ahead from a chunin-and a prisoner at that. But she was not the Hokage for nothing. With her regal poise and imposing chakra presence, she called the hearing in session with proper dignity. "Will the Sand-Leaf Council please read their verdict?"

And intense silence followed as one Suna Councilor, the designated spokesman, unrolled a parchment and glanced it over with sharp, beady eyes. "Concerning the charge of abduction of an innocent, we, the joint Sand-Leaf Council find the defendant, Umino Iruka…"

He paused, and it seemed that every breath was caught, waiting for the announcement before it could find release. Kakashi noticed the sensei's muscles tensing as his body leaned slightly forward in anticipation.

"Guilty," the Councilor finished.

Immediately, there was an outcry from the children and even some of the civilian adults. Tsunade, more prepared for such uproar, stood and gained control of the situation. "Unless you want to be kicked out these chambers you _will_ keep silence!" she demanded, her fist pounding down on the table hard enough to cause it to splinter slightly. "Parents and guardians, please take a few moments to make sure you have your children under control. After this, I'll have no more disruptions."

There was a low murmer in the crowd as the parents took this advice to heart. Without a second thought, Iruka slipped away briefly to have a word with a motley group of children. Toric observed this with a puzzled expression.

Kakashi met the Sand medic's gaze with a crinkled-eye smile, "Orphans," he explained. "Umino-san looks out for them."

The copy ninja relished the way Toric's expression grew discomfited as he resolutely looked away. Good. Let him see what kind of man he was trying to destroy.

When things were once again in order and everyone back in place, the spokesman continued.

"Concerning the charge of deliberate and premeditated murder in the first degree, we, the joint Sand-Leaf Council, find the defendant, Umino Iruka…not guilty."

There was a moment of silence, before Kotetsu, who was perched catlike on the wall, let out a joyful "Whooo-_yeah_!"

This effectively broke the somber atmosphere and at once there was cheerful exclamations and happy chatter among the crowd.

"But…" the spokesman continued loudly, waiting for everyone's complete attention. "Since the child would not have been present on the battlefield if he were not abducted, we hold the defendant Umino Iruka criminally responsible for the death and we judge him guilty of voluntary manslaughter."

Upon hearing these words, Iruka seemed to wilt, though he somehow managed to remain standing.

Kakashi, on the other hand, practically swelled in outrage. _Manslaughter_? It was an unwritten rule in the shinobi realm that accidental killings in the heat of combat were never punishable as a crime. There was no precedent for convicting a _ninja_ on such a charge. No, this was a thinly veiled attempt to slam Iruka with the harshest sentence they could muster.

Others shinobi in the crowd mirrored the copy ninja's feelings. And with discontent simmering quietly among the adults, the youth felt no scruple in expressing their sentiments out loud.

Gaara watched in amazement as the children booed, jeered, and began throwing ration bars and crumpled papers at the Sand-Leaf Council. The Kazekage's sand shield automatically rose up to provide him protection from some kid's sandal.*

Tsunade was horrified by these ineffective, yet real physical attacks on Sand representatives and the Kazekage himself. This could very well cause the collapse of their delicate alliance. Making her decision quickly, she ordered all spectators removed at once. The jounin on security and the Anbu shadow guards quickly and efficiently ushered everyone out.

Gaara observed the procession and wondered if perhaps Suna had just made itself enemies with the entire younger generation of Konoha. Just what was it about Umino Iruka that made him precious, not only in the eyes of one Naruto Uzumaki, but in those of so much of his own village?

The Kazekage barely registered Tsunade's profuse and formal apologies on behalf of Leaf. He waved a dismissive hand. "Let's just get on with this."

It had been agreed beforehand that neither Kage would have a part in deciding the chunin's fate, whether to convict him of charges or choose his sentence. That was under the jurisdiction of the joint council created for that express purpose. Gaara was curious to know what these men and women had decided.

Iruka looked straight ahead calmly, already knowing there was only one possible sentence and steeling himself to face it with dignity befitting a shinobi of the Leaf.

The spokesman, brushing off a banana peel from his shoulder, cleared his throat and proceeded to announce the sentence. "In light of these convictions, we, the joint Sand-L…"

"Get to the point." Gaara growled.

The man startled and put the parchment down. "Twenty-five years imprisonment in Konoha's Maximum Security Facility."

Iruka barely kept his jaw from dropping. The sensei raised surprised eyes toward Ibiki, but the older man did not meet his gaze. Still, he knew that his former mentor must have had a hand in convincing them to let him serve a prison sentence in Konoha, rather than Suna, thereby eliminating the need for an execution.

Tsunade was uneasy about public reaction, so she dismissed the hearing immediately after the sentence was announced. Iruka was led away by guards to return to his holding cell until further arrangements could be made to transfer him back to the Maximum Security Facility.

Kakashi remained by his side as they exited, and Iruka noted the look of intense anger burning in the jounin's eye.

"You did the best you could, Kakashi-san…and honestly, this is far better than I expected," Iruka admitted, swallowing hard and willing his hands to stop shaking so he could soothe his companion. "Ibiki-san must have done some impressive maneuvering to get me a prison sentence in Konoha. I'm certain they originally intended the penalty to include either imprisonment in Suna, or execution."

"This is ridiculous." Kakashi growled. "You're not guilty and they all know it."

"I'm not entirely innocent, Kakashi-san" Iruka reminded him quietly.

The jounin scoffed. "There's not a ninja alive who's entirely innocent."

"Forget it. I'm fine. It's over." Iruka smiled, though it was a false one that refused to reach his eyes. "At least I know that I'll be getting out again…eventually." In twenty-five years, Iruka would be fifty-one years old and would have spent almost as much of his life in prison as he had out of it.

Once they were outside the Hokage tower, the guards opted to play it safe and teleport the rest of way, leaving the silver haired jounin behind.

Kakashi stood still in contemplation as lingering chakra smoke from the teleportation jutsu curled lazily before him. Steely determination glinted in his visible eye. "You're wrong, Iruka-san. It's not over yet."

* * *

* I most solemnly swear that I wrote this part _before_ the shoe-icide attack on President Bush! Though I admit I'm impressed by our president's awesome ninja reflexes.

Next Chapter: Bwah ha ha! Like I'm actually going to elaborate!


	24. P II, Chapter 13

I adore and appreciate every review I receive, and I am feeling an inordinate amount of guilt because I could not respond to all of them. T_T Please forgive me.

However I judged that, despite how charming and witty my review replies may be (ha!), perhaps my reviewers would be better thanked by my using my limited writing time on getting the next update ready quicker. …And I was afraid of the consequences if I didn't. Having my dreams invaded or my feet gnawed off by certain reviewers didn't sound appealing. ^-^ I'm quite attached to my feet.

* * *

Iruka entered the whitewashed confines of the Torture and Interrogation holding cell. One of the guards locked the door, his brows drawn tight in a troubled expression. "Do you need anything, Umino-san?" He asked uncertainly.

The chunin didn't turn to face the speaker; he merely shook his head.

The guard shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He didn't know Iruka well, beyond the fact that he was the man to whom he handed his mission reports. "You…er…want to talk about it or something?" The man had seen the events in all the hearings, and he couldn't help but disagree with the conclusion of the matter.

Iruka did turn at that, a touch of surprise showing in his eyes. Then he smiled, "No thank you. I just need some time alone."

With a nod, the man retreated down the hall.

When finally alone, the smile, whose edges had been brittle to begin with, broke down completely. He shut his eyes against the burn that threatened behind them.

For his student's sake, he had needed to be composed and accepting. In front of Kakashi, who had worked so hard to help him, he dared not show his dismay.

Even now, he wasn't even certain he had a right to that emotion. All things considered, this was a better outcome than he could expect. Perhaps better than he even deserved. He _was_ responsible for Kento's death. And even if he didn't kidnap the boy as far as legal definitions go, he had a hand in allowing him to remain so. The fact that he meant to return him unharmed meant little in light of the result of his decision.

Relaxing his clenched jaw, he lowered himself onto his cot and decided instead to focus on the practical implications.

Twenty-five years. He couldn't continue paying rent for so long and leave the apartment to stand vacant. His furniture would have to be left there for the next occupants' use, as there was nowhere for him to take it, but arrangements needed to be made for the removal and storage of his personal belongings.

The rest of the year's curriculum was already planned, but Shikamaru hadn't been trained yet in how to create one himself for next year. Appointments might need to be made in order for him to coach the teen.

Tuesday nights were his ramen nights with Konohamaru, so…

That thought undid him, and before he could restrain it, a strangled sob escaped his throat. It hurt to smile, to be mature about this and be strong, to pretend his life hadn't been ripped away from him.

He dug his palms into his eyes, fighting to keep the moisture back. He should be strong enough to win this fight. But maybe, just for tonight, he could let himself be weak.

* * *

Toric entered the comfortable room that Konoha had provided for him at a large, expensive inn. He knew that the other Suna ninja were housed in the additional rooms along this floor. Each suite was tastefully furnished and decorated.

The medic was quite unaccustomed to the fancy surroundings. While he earned a significant salary, neither he nor his late wife were concerned with things like ornamental lamps and delicate landscape paintings. Suna itself was not a place known for the arts. It had been making him uncomfortable all week.

Now he barely registered the attractive surroundings, instead sinking heavily into the firm yet yielding mattress. His head seemed unwilling to support its own weight and lowered into his hands.

He was tired. So tired. And he stayed there, sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, wondering just when had he become so old.

For the past ten years, he'd been consumed by the desire for revenge. Now, after finally achieving it, he expected some measure of closure, at least a shred of peace. He'd punished the man who killed his son. He'd atoned for how he wronged his wife.

Instead it seemed like the fires of vengeance, once put out, left him empty and ravaged.

He pushed his hands up to run through his thick grey hair breathing in deeply and slowly releasing it. If he were honest with himself, he knew peace eluded him because, no matter how he justified it, he wasn't sure if what he'd done was _right_.

Finally, he lifted his head, and was nearly startled out of his skin to see another person in the room. He had never even sensed the other presence, but now reached into his side pouch to retrieve some senbon.

A hand in fingerless gloves caught his wrist before it reached his weaponry. "None of that, Adachi-san. I only want to talk," a familiar voice murmured close to his ear.

"H-Hatake-san! What is the meaning of this?" the medic growled, masking the very real fear he felt rising in his chest. "When the others catch you here…"

Hatake's masked face hovered mere inches before his own. "I've placed a soundproofing jutsu on this room, and the others are all in bed, besides the Kazekage, who is attending a late night meeting with Tsunade-sama."

"Your Hokage has Anbu guards stationed to prevent…"

"Assassination attempts. I know." Kakashi finished. "The Anbu are aware of my presence; they let me through. I told you, I'm here to talk."

The silver haired jounin released his steel grip and took a step back. Toric watched him carefully, nervous, but also aware that any attack would be extraordinarily foolish on the famous copy ninja's part. Surely…_surely_, Umino was not worth starting a war over?

"What do you want?" the medic demanded.

"You know Iruka-san is not guilty." Kakashi responded simply.

"I didn't make the call. The _Council_ decided…"

"I'm not talking about what the Council decided, Adachi-san." The Konoha jounin's normally sleepy gaze was smolderingly intense. "I'm talking about what you _know_. You know that verdict was preposterous. You know it wasn't justice."

"That man killed my son." Toric contested hotly. "He's fortunate he's still alive."

"_Mizuki_ is responsible for Kento's death. He kidnapped the boy, manipulated the situation. He eventually betrayed Konoha, and he will spend the rest of his natural life locked up in an insane asylum, or in a prison cell should he ever recover his mental faculties."

"Get out of here!" The medic shouted. Anger was usually an effective shield. "Leave me alone."

"Iruka-sensei is not a criminal." Kakashi continued, unperturbed. "You've heard his testimony. You've talked to him privately. You've seen him with his kids. Look me in the eye and tell me you really believe this is right."

Toric breathed in sharply, as Sharingan Kakashi seemed to echo the question he'd been pondering himself. Did he believe this was right, not based on his old anger, but on the facts he had learned recently?

He knew _now_ that Suna had withheld medical research that Konoha needed to save lives. If he had been aware of the request, he would have never allowed it to be denied.

He knew now, because Kakashi had proved it earlier, that Iruka could not have anticipated Kento's position and therefore could not have intended to impale the boy. If Toric had taken his son away from the fight, rather than allowing his rage to cause him to press the battle, this never would have happened.

He knew now that the man he'd always thought of as cruel, inhuman, and treacherous; had a long history of compassion and mercy, that he had somehow won the heart of the younger generation of Konoha and acted almost as a guardian to the many orphans in it.

"No, Hatake-san." Toric lowered his ice blue eyes, taking them off his uninvited visitor for the first time since his entrance. "It is not right."

He rubbed his eyes. The bone-deep weariness returned as the adrenaline wore off from Kakashi's intrusion. "But the Council has already decided the matter. It's not like there's anything I could do at this point."

Once again, a steel grip was on his arm. It seemed that taking one's eyes off the copy ninja was never a wise thing to do.

"Come with me." Kakashi demanded.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz **the following morning** zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Genma watched Iruka through the bars of the holding cell, teeth biting down tightly on his senbon. The chunin had requested the necessary papers to arrange for the removal, storage, and, in some cases, distribution of his property so that it wouldn't simply get thrown away when the landlord sold his apartment. Genma was the one sent to deliver the forms.

The ex-sensei looked calm as he wrote out instructions in his tidy script, as though he were doing nothing more them filling out the quarterly assessment report of the Mission Department.

"I don't understand why you're not more upset about this, Iruka-san," Genma finally ground out.

The chunin did not look up from his work. "Can I change anything by being upset, Genma-san?"

"They know you killed the brat by mistake. Why are they still punishing you?"

Iruka didn't answer immediately, but once he finished the paragraph he was working on, he sighed. "It's called 'manslaughter.'"

"It's called bullshit," the tokubetsu jounin snapped. "Manslaughter is for civilians. If they jailed ninjas for collateral damage, we'd all be locked up. I know I've killed people I wish I hadn't. I'll bet you anything that Sand prick has as well, if he even goes on real missions."

"It's more complicated than that, Genma-san." Iruka rubbed at his scar in a weary gesture. "They think I kidnapped him to begin with, and besides that, this case involves a possible breach of international treaty, so…"

"So you're the sacrifice for good relations between Konoha and Suna," the other finished. "With the Council being set up the way it is, it's no wonder they convicted you."

Silence filled the space between them, broken only by the scratching of Iruka's pen against the parchment. Genma turned over the situation in his mind, and it became clear why his friend seemed resigned to his fate. "I'm sorry Iruka-san. I guess this is just one of those cases where the good of the village has to come first."

Iruka nodded at these words, and tried to ignore the way his throat felt constricted. Every good ninja knew that the life of one shinobi was nothing in the face of their village's prosperity. It shouldn't hurt Iruka that his friend was a good ninja. It shouldn't.

"When you're done with those forms, Iruka-san, you can give them to one of the T&I staff. I've got to get back to work."

"I will, Genma-san. Thank you."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz **the night before** zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Two of the most powerful ninja in the world were seated in the Hokage's office. One was a blonde kunoichi who looked far younger than her years, and the other was a red haired shinobi who acted far older than his.

"I apologize for what happened in that courtroom, Gaara-sama," Tsunade sighed. "Iruka-san is...a well-liked member of Konoha's community. We failed to anticipate that sort of response from the people."

Gaara tilted his head slightly, "It would appear that you've made yourself very unpopular. Will your people still be willing to even listen to you?"

Tsunade drew herself up at the question. "Of course. Konoha has very mature ninja who know better than to let their emotions get in the way of their service."

Gaara did not look convinced. "You also have very immature ninja, one of whom threw his sandal at me. This trial hasn't helped Sand-Leaf relations."

Remembering the homemade signs that read "Hey Sand, Get Out of Our Land!" Tsunade had to concede that point. "No. It has not. But legally, we can't interfere with the Council's decision."

A tapping sound on the window caught their attention. The Hokage frowned when she noted who it was. With a huff, she rose to open the window and allow the brat entry.

Hatake Kakashi had better have a good reason for interrupting an important diplomatic meeting.

To her astonishment, once the jounin entered the room, the Sand medic entered right after. He had obviously been following the copy nin, but looked for all the world as though he had no clue why they were here.

"Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama," Kakashi greeted them both in turn, as though he had not just intruded upon a meeting he had no business attending. He pulled out a dusty, yellowing scroll, that had clearly seen better days, and that Tsunade recognized from the label as belonging to the legal section of the Hokage Library.

Hatake Kakashi had better have a good reason for stealing a scroll that he had no business possessing.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz **back to the next morning** zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Another set of approaching footsteps roused Iruka from his task of accounting for every item he owned. Perhaps Genma had come back to see if he was finished?

But the shinobi who entered into view was not the the tokubetsu jounin. Iruka couldn't help but smile when he realized the visitor's identity.

"Kakashi-san. I'm glad you came by." The chunin gestured at the papers in his hand. "I wanted to ask you: would you be interested in holding on to any of my books?"

One silver brow was raised, or perhaps both, since Iruka couldn't actually see the other. "Your books?"

"Yeah," the chunin confirmed. "Since you've already invaded my apartment, I'm sure you've seen my collection. I'm going to give them over to Shikamaru-san, as they're good resources for preparing lessons, but if you saw anything you liked, you can consider it a twenty-five year loan."

"I don't think I'll be taking you up on that offer, sensei."

The chunin offered him a half smile, "My books aren't quite your style, eh?"

"Sorry, but Cultural Anthropology of the Five Great Shinobi Nations is a rather dry read," Kakashi responded. "A Cultural Overview of Ninja Nations was a lot more interesting and covers the same information. I'll let you borrow it, if you ask nicely enough."

Instead of a stunned stare, Iruka's grin widened. "I _knew_ you must read something other than Jiriaya's trash."

Kakashi grinned back. "I'll have you know that Jiriaya's books are a _fascinating_ culture study of their own." He enjoyed watching the blush form on the teacher's face.

It was nice to have someone not act shocked by the prospect that Kakashi just might have a varied taste in literature. Icha Icha was not the only thing he read. It was just the only thing he read in public.

The copy nin pulled out a key. "Actually, Iruka-san, I didn't come for a book club meeting. I'm here on business."

The sensei uneasily watched him open the cell door. "They're transferring me already?...But, Kakashi-san, I thought…I thought that wasn't going to happen until tomorrow. Ibiki-san said he needed some time to arrange for a cellmate that wouldn't have some kind of personal grudge against me…and…"

"Relax, sensei." Kakashi smiled. "I'm actually here to give you something. You'll be wanting to file this in your record." He entered the cell and handed the chunin a scroll.

"I'm hardly in a position to do any filing." Iruka reminded him, though he took the parchment in hand. "What is it, anyway?"

"Just a bit of paperwork I thought you'd be interested in seeing."

* * *

While Kakashi and Iruka were discussing literature in a prison cell, the company from Sunagakure made their final preparations for departure from the Konoha inn.

Gaara observed the best medic that Sand had to offer. Toric somehow seemed lighter than the Kazekage ever remembered seeing him. Not _happy _per se, for his face was set in a pensive expression, but his body moved as though some ancient burden had been finally taken from his shoulders.

The young Kage could not fathom why the man acted as he did.

"Toric-san."

The grey haired medic paused from his packing and bowed low, "Yes, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara was uncharacteristically hesitant. Finally, he entered the room and shut the door behind him. "I thought...I have heard others say…that you loved your son."

The elder swallowed and nodded. "I do, Kazekage-sama. I still do."

"Then why…?" Gaara's normally impassive face scrunched slightly in frustration. "You must not love him, if you refused to take revenge for his death." He could not imagine someone killing a person he cared about, and then allowing that person to go unpunished.

The elder's mouth hung open, startled by the statement. He quickly shut it when he realized how he must look. He also realized that this would be the same accusation he'd likely face from his own father when he returned. How was he going to explain what went on in the Hokage Tower tower last night?

_"But there _is_ a way out of this,"_ _Kakashi claimed. "It doesn't matter how high-profile this case is. From the beginning, it's been considered a _civil_ case between Adachi and Umino, never a _military_ one between Suna and Konoha."_

_"And why does that matter?" Tsunade pressed. "It was still to be decided by a military council. To overrule their verdict is considered a breach in the balance of powers. Even a Kage has no right to overturn the laws of the nation. That would be dictatorship." _

_"You're right, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi conceded. "But take a look at this section Pakkun found about civil cases. As Toric-san is the one who is officially bringing the charges, he is also the only one who can drop them…"_

_"It's too late for that, Hatake-san," the medic pointed out._

_"…But he is also the only one with authority to appeal for a Kage's pardon." Kakashi finished. He gazed at Toric intently. "If you are willing, you can request that Iruka-san be granted a pardon, releasing him from the penalty imposed by the council. The choice is in_ your_ hands."_

Toric had chosen last night to request that pardon. It had been quickly drawn up and signed by both Tsunade and Gaara. As proof of his willing participation in the pact, he had to sign it as well.

The medic realized he'd been staring out into space while the Kazekage was waiting for him to respond.

His love for Kento was the same. So what _had _changed? The answer came to him suddenly, and Toric faced his leader confident of his response. "Revenge has a lot more to do with hate, Gaara-sama, than love. Fate has already punished the man truly responsible for the loss of my son, without my having to do a thing. As for Umino-san...he's not really a criminal. There's no need to hold onto my hatred for him."

"Then you forgive him for the role he had in this?" the red haired youth asked.

"Forgive him?" A humorless chuckle escaped the elder's throat. "Not yet, Kazekage-sama. Maybe someday." Toric slung his pack over his shoulder. "For now I just want to get back to my patients. I've been gone long enough."

* * *

Kakashi wasn't sure how he expected Iruka to react when he read the pardon that would grant him his freedom. He couldn't say he was too surprised by the way the chunin stared at the document, reading and rereading it several times, eyes lingering over the signatures of the Kages, and for a much longer time over the signature of the Suna medic.

He also wasn't overly surprised that, when the astonished expression faded, tears glimmered in those brown eyes. Iruka was rather emotional for a shinobi.

But Kakashi was utterly shocked when the sensei pitched forward and captured him in a Naruto-esque hug. The copy nin barely refrained from reflexively slicing the man's throat, and instead stiffly patted him twice on the head. "You're embarrassing me, sensei."

Iruka quickly pulled back. "Sorry," he rubbed the back of his neck, his face reddened in embarrassment. "I…Just…" he sighed and offered a deep bow. "Thank you."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Why would you thank _me_?"

A roll of his brown eyes indicated his exasperation. "You must think I'm rather stupid, if you don't expect me to realize who orchestrated this. I don't know _how_ you managed it, but…"

"Actually sensei, Pakkun was the one who figured out that a pardon was possible…"

"Of course," Iruka smiled. He remembered what Kakashi had said about having no living friends. If the jounin wanted to create distance by diverting attention to his nindog, he wouldn't argue. At least not outwardly "And if that's the case, I owe _Pakkun_ quite a thank-you. Friends like that are hard to come by."

"It _was_ Pakkun," Kakashi frowned.

"I know," Iruka replied. He eyed the parchment in his hand. "So…am I free now?"

"Yup. Just report to the T&I main office to have the chakra suppressor removed. You can even collect your regular uniform. You know the way?"

"Yeah." Iruka looked like he wanted to say more. He glanced down the hall in the direction of the main office, but instead of continuing on his way, he looked back at Kakashi. "Say... after I've been discharged, do you think Pakkun would like to go out to eat? It would be my treat of course, just to say thanks and celebrate. _You_ could even come along, if you want."

Kakashi frowned thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry, sensei," he answered finally. "I don't think Pakkun likes going out."

"Oh."

Iruka tried, and failed, to keep the disappointment from his face. "I understand. Sorry to bother you." He turned to leave.

Kakashi watched him walk away for a moment before suddenly making up his mind.

Catching up to the chunin, he added, "But I guess _I _could still go with you. If you don't mind."

* * *

XD It's…finally over. All the paperwork is in.

If you're interested, check my profile for the sequel to this story (Sharpening Iron), the prequel (Shattered), and other fics from this universe, including sidefics written by other authors.

You'll also see my progress report for any current project on which I may be working.


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